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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani says the association has already started putting in motion measures to deliver a classy event after they were granted the right to host the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 by the International Cricket Council.
The tournament, scheduled to run from June 18 to July 9, 2023, will bring together 10 teams from across the globe and will be the final qualifying event to decide the last two participants for the 2023 World Cup set for India.
Zimbabwe successfully hosted the previous edition of the Qualifier two years ago and are looking to build from the experience.
“This is a very good opportunity for the country,” said Mukuhlani.
“We are excited about this and we are focused on delivering a great event. If you recall in 2018 we had an opportunity to upgrade our grounds and equipment and the event itself was top-notch,” said Mukuhlani.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 participants will include the bottom five sides from the 13-team ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, excluding India, as well as the top three teams from the World Cup League Two and the top two teams from the World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
The ICC said all matches in the Qualifier will have one-day international status. The event will be subject to Covid-19 arrangements if still required at the time.
Zimbabwe successfully hosted the 2018 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier across the three cities of Harare, Bulawayo and Kwekwe.
Mukuhlani yesterday told The Herald that the return of the event will present the country with another big opportunity for development.
He said the authorities are already working on appointing a World Cup committee to steer all the preparations.
“This time we have a little bit of time, unlike in 2018.
“We have two-and-a-half years to prepare. We realized from the previous event that there is need to put in place a committee to run all the preparatory works.
“The committee will be looking at what needs to be put in place as well as what needs improvement in terms of our facilities and the logistics.
“There is need for more venues to be accredited for ODI games and that is the other big benefit we look forward to by hosting this event,” said Mukuhlani.
Zimbabwe successfully organised the 2018 edition across the three cities of Harare, Bulawayo and Kwekwe.
However, the event ended in disappointment following the shock loss to minnows United Arab Emirates in the decisive match at a packed Harare Sports Club.
The three-run defeat via the Duckworth-Lewis calculations in that rain-interrupted contest eventually cost the Chevrons a spot at the 2019 finals held in England. Before that, Zimbabwe had taken part in all the World Cups from 1983 to 2015.
“It ended in anti-climax but we are looking forward to successful campaign this time around. We are already building a team for the 2023 World Cup and we hope that by the time the tournament comes around we should have a solid team that has the capacity to win games against any opponent,” said Mukuhlani.
The Minister of Youth, Arts, Sport and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry, yesterday welcomed the decision by the ICC to give Zimbabwe another opportunity to host a big event.
She said the Government was fully behind the campaign.
“We set down with the chairman of the ZC (Mukuhlani) and the chairman of the Sports Commission (Gerald Mlotshwa), I think it was closer to the beginning of the year, to strategically ask when and what competitions Zimbabwe would be able to bid for and be able host in terms of cricket.
“We agreed on a certain number of events that the Zimbabwe Cricket would then apply for and as we saw the result being announced by the ICC yesterday (Wednesday) through the ICC communications, they have awarded the 2023 Men’s World Cup Qualifier to Zimbabwe.
“We are very excited about that. I think it’s a good thing for the country, it’s a good thing for cricket and I think it shows that when we all work together, it’s quite amazing the things that we can achieve.
“My understanding, being able to host these kind of Qualifiers, is that it will also bring in some extra funding which will allow for us to grow the game both for the men and the women,” said Coventry.
The ICC explained the qualification pathway to the 2023 World Cup which will see the top seven nations, excluding hosts India, at the end of the ICC World Cup Super League, getting automatic slots.
The Super League kicked-off when cricket resumed from the Covid-19 lockdown around the middle of 2020. Australia (40 points from six games), England (30 from nine) and Pakistan (20 from three), are the top-three teams on that table, with India, Zimbabwe and Ireland below them, all on 10 points from three games.
Ten points are awarded for winning a game. Zimbabwe got their initial points from the recent tour of Pakistan where they won one game in the 1-2 ODI series loss.
Zimbabwe were also scheduled to play ODI series against Australia and India this year but the series were postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
The ICC also announced the League 2 schedule which will also be part of the qualifying process for the lower-tier sides.
The two leagues will run simultaneously with the Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League which features the top 13 teams.
Hosts India and the other top seven Super League teams will qualify automatically for the pinnacle event.
The bottom five teams from the Super League will play in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, joining the best three teams from League 2 and two more from World Cup Qualifier Play-Off.
The 2023 World Cup finals have been scheduled for October-November 2023.
Online Reporter