Having failed to secure a berth at the recent qualifiers in UAE for next year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup slated for Bangladesh, team Uganda has another to bury their immense sorrow.
The side is among the ten countries that will battle for the only two available slots to be filled by Associate Members for the 2015 ODI World Cup. And having released the fixtures on Tuesday, Uganda is grouped alongside neighbours Kenya, Netherlands, Namibia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 (CWCQ), to be held in New Zealand from January 13-February 1 next year.
Two Associates Ireland and Afghanistan have already secured two of the four places, and, Uganda will first play their European opponents at Tauranga on January 13.
Then coach Johan Rudolph’s charges will face PNG at New Plymouth three days later before dating Kenya another 72 hours later. While in UAE last month, Uganda lost by six wickets to PNG.
Uganda will finish their group ties against Namibia in a repeat of the 2011 ICC Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier. In the North Island, matches will be played at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval and the iconic terraced Pukekura Park in New Plymouth.
In the South Island Christchurch’s Hagley Oval will debut as an international cricket venue. Matches will also be played in Rangiora, Queenstown and Lincoln, with the Bert Sutcliffe Oval hosting the final of the tournament on 1 February.
The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five, with the top three progressing into the Super Sixes stage of the tournament.
Pool A: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Scotland, Canada, Hong Kong, Nepal.
Pool B: Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Uganda.