ICC Media: In what is undoubtedly the most important men’s tournament of 2018, 10 leading and proud cricket nations will go head to head in a cut-throat ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 to fight it out for the remaining two places at the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over tournament – the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – which will be staged in England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July.
Two-time former world champions Windies are top-seeded in the tournament, which will be played across four venues in Bulawayo and Harare from 4-25 March. The Windies, who were clearly far from their best in the two warm-up matches when they lost to Afghanistan and barely won against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will open their campaign on Tuesday, 6 March, against the UAE at the Old Hararians.
Alongside the Windies and the UAE in Group A are Ireland, the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea (PNG). On the opening day on Sunday, fourth-seeded Ireland will square-off against the Netherlands at the Old Hararians, while PNG will take on the UAE at the Harare Sports Club.