Aamir Ali Janjua
Dubai (October 22, 2021):-The qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia is set to continue in Doha with five teams set to compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier supported by Dream 11.
Hosts Qatar are joined by Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives and Saudi Arabia with one place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier up for grabs.
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.
Qatar (21) enter the event as the highest ranked on the MRF Tyres 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 event will also complete the Asia regional finals with Nepal, Singapore, UAE, Hong Kong and The Philippines already through to the Global Qualifier.
Qatar captain, Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry, said: “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. 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.”
Bahrain captain, Anasim Khan? said: “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 life-time opportunity to earn a place in a historic World Cup qualifying round. We are a team which can bring surprises.”
Saudi Arabia captain, Abdul Waheed said: “It is an absolute honour to represent Saudi Arabia in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier. To play in a World Cup is a dream of every cricketer, however we are focused on the forthcoming tournament. We have come a long way in recent years and to realise our dreams we need to take one step at a time and keep moving. We know that it will be an intense competition as other participating teams are good. Nevertheless, we have prepared well and the boys are excited to give their best.”
Kuwait captain, Mohammed Nawaf Mohammed Aslam said: “It feels absolutely brilliant to be captaining the Kuwait side on such a big stage and to play competitive cricket with neighbouring countries, who are all fighting for that one prestigious and most valuable spot. We know its a tough road ahead but we are preparing hard for that. We have to win all the matches and tournaments we participate in under the ICC in order to come up the rankings and achieve the goal of being in the top 15 teams in the world.”
Maldives captain, Mohamed Mahfooz said: “I am very excited and eager to show the cricketing community the talent of Maldivian cricketers. I believe this small nation is ready to upset the big teams in this competition. We did what we could control to prepare. We had online fitness sessions and once restrictions eased we started outdoor fitness sessions and indoors practices. We kept the players minds always in the game until we were able to get back on the ground.”
Qatar Cricket Association President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari expressed his thrills for getting a chance to showcase his country’s hosting capabilities.
He commented while welcoming the participating teams and officials: “Qatar has established itself as the sporting capital due to its high standards in staging events. We are delighted that we will host the Asia Group A Qualifiers for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from October 23 to 29.
“The QCA feels grateful to the International Cricket Council for granting this event to Qatar. We welcome all the contesting teams and ICC officials. This is the first international cricket tournament here after the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt.
“We assure the ICC that we’ll live up to our reputation of being a world-class host. We wish good luck to all the teams. We hope that all the teams are keen to get back to the field and will produce high-voltage action in a bid to qualify for the global qualifying stage,” Al Kuwari added.”
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)
