Tim Wigmore on why the World Cup qualifiers are much more important than just about reaching the tournament
Three weeks in March will bring the most pressurised cricket of the entire year. Not theAshes, England v India or even the Indian Premier League: the Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
It is a tournament that, more than any other, can reshape the entire future of cricket nations. Ireland would never have Test status today had they not come through the qualifiers for past World Cups. And because of two defeats in January 2014, the Netherlands didn’t merely miss out on World Cup qualification; they also lost their one-day international status for four years and about one-third of their funding. You could argue that no two defeats suffered by any cricket nation have been as costly as those two the Netherlands suffered in the last qualifiers.
So in the World Cup qualifiers, players are not merely playing for the right to play in the World Cup. They are playing for their very right to remain professional cricketers and the fixtures their nations will receive for the ensuing four years.
Denne historien er fra January 19,2018-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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Denne historien er fra January 19,2018-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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Future looks bright for the Ohio Slinger
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Spin trio put squeeze on after Glenn shows off skill with the bat
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