ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier
| ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First tournament | 2009, Ireland |
| Last tournament | 2010, United Arab Emirates |
| Tournament format | Round robin and Knockout |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Current champion |  Ireland |
| Most successful | Ireland [two titles (1 shared)] |
| Most runs |  Mohammad Shahzad (479) |
| Most wickets |  Trent Johnston (24) |
| Website | ICC Official website |
The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier is an international Twenty20 cricket tournament run under the auspices of the International Cricket Council. The purpose is to qualify the top Associate Members for the ICC World Twenty20. The first ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier was held in 2008 and it was in similar fashion to the ICC World Cup Qualifier. There were 6 participating teams in 2008 and the number was increased to 8 for the 2010 edition.[1] Also, the first 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, which will determine the 2 teams to join the ten Full Members at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Sri Lanka, will be staged in the UAE in the early part of 2012.
History
2008 Qualifiers
The first ever Twenty20 World cup Qualifier was played as a Qualifier for 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and was played between 2 August and 5 August 2008 in Stormont, Belfast in Northern Ireland. The top three [2] played in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The six competing teams were:
Bermuda 
Canada Ireland 
Kenya 
Netherlands 
Scotland
The competition was won by Ireland and the Netherlands, who shared the trophy after rain forced the final to be abandoned without a ball bowled. Both teams qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 finals in England. After the withdrawal of Zimbabwe from the competition, the two finalists were joined by third-placed Scotland.
2010 Qualifiers
The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2010 was played from February 9–13, 2010[3] in the United Arab Emirates. It was expanded to eight teams, as Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States entered the tournament for the first time, whereas Bermuda did not enter. Afghanistan defeated Ireland in the final to win the championship, and both teams progressed to play in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, the international championship of Twenty20 cricket in the West Indies.
The eight competing teams were:[4]
Afghanistan Canada Ireland Kenya Netherlands Scotland 
United Arab Emirates 
United States
2012 Qualifiers
The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier was played in early 2012. It was an expanded version comprising ten qualifiers from regional Twenty20 tournaments in addition to the six ODI/Twenty20 status countries. A total of 81 countries will participate to qualify for the ten spots available in the 2012 World Twenty20 Qualifier. Qualified countries are:
Afghanistan Bermuda Canada 
Denmark 
Hong Kong Ireland 
Italy Kenya 
Namibia 
Nepal Netherlands 
Oman 
Papua New Guinea Scotland 
Uganda United States
Ireland defeated Afghanistan in the final to win the championship, and both teams progressed to play in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20.
Previous winners
The two associate qualifiers for the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20 were decided in the 2007 World Cricket League Division One tournament. Kenya and Scotland qualified.
| Year | Host nation | Final venue | Winner | Result | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Northern Ireland | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Belfast | Ireland,
|
Match abandoned due to rain and both Ireland and Netherlands share the Trophy. | - |
| 2010 | United Arab Emirates | Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Afghanistan |
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets | Ireland |
| 2012 | United Arab Emirates | Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, Dubai | Ireland |
Ireland won by 5 wickets | Afghanistan |
References
- ^ http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/events_and_awards/twenty20/qualifier.php
- ^ http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com/media-release/2008/July/media-release20080717-39.html ICC-Cricket, retrieved 17 July 2008
- ^ "Important dates for Associate cricket". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
- ^ "UAE to host expanded World Twenty20 Qualifiers". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
