Qatar to host ICC qualifying event for first time as part of road to Australia 2022
Oct 22, 2021
Dubai [UAE], October 22 : Qualification for the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia is set to continue in Doha with five teams set to lock horns in the T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier.
Hosts Qatar are joined by Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives and Saudi Arabia with one place in the tournament's Global Qualifier up for grabs.
According to the apex body of cricket, it's the first time an ICC event has been staged in Qatar, with the matches to be hosted at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium.
"It's a great feeling, we are all pumped up and working hard for the event. We know it's a big tournament and we've been through this stage before. The last time we played Asia qualifiers we beat higher-ranked teams but one mishap and we didn't make it into the Global Qualifiers," Qatar captain, Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry, said in an ICC release.
"We are glad that we are hosting a major ICC tournament in Qatar, which is the path to Australia 2022 and we will put up a good show for our nation and cricket lovers over the globe," he added.
Qatar (21) enter the event as the highest-ranked on the ICC men's T20I Team Rankings, with Kuwait (27), Saudi Arabia (28), Bahrain (43) and Maldives (74) all aiming to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time.
"The ICC Mens T20 World Cup Asia is a big opportunity for Bahrain and all teams to play at the top level. It will be a dream come true to play in Australia next year. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to earn a place in a historic World Cup qualifying round. We are a team which can bring surprises," Bahrain captain Anasim Khan said.
In all, there will be 10 matches streamed across the event with each team to play each other once in the round-robin format.
The event will also complete the Asia regional finals with Nepal, Singapore, UAE, Hong Kong and The Philippines already through to the Global Qualifier.
FIXTURES
23 October 2021- Qatar vs Bahrain (09h00); Maldives vs Saudi Arabia (13h10)
24 October 2021 - Bahrain vs Kuwait (09h00); Qatar vs Maldives (13h10)
25 October 2021 - Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia (09h00);
27 October 2021 - Bahrain vs Maldives (09h00); Qatar vs Saudi Arabia (13h10)
28 October 2021 - Maldives vs Kuwait (09h00); Saudi Arabia vs Bahrain (13h10)
29 October 2021- Kuwait vs Qatar (13h10)
