Bat and Ball (Photo Source: Twitter)
Qualification for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka 2024 continues on Sunday as the Europe Qualifier is set to get underway in the Netherlands. The most talented young cricketers from across six European countries will battle it out for the one available spot at the global showpiece event in January.
14 teams have already secured their place for Sri Lanka 2024, including Nepal, New Zealand, and Namibia, who have joined the 11 automatically qualified nations by virtue of winning their respective regional Qualifiers in Asia, EAP, and more recently Africa.
The Europe Qualifier in the Netherlands will see the three teams that progressed from last year’s Division 2 Qualifier; winners Italy alongside Norway and Guernsey, face up against the seeded teams from the last cycle; Jersey, Scotland, and host nation Netherlands.
15 tournament matches are set to take place in a round-robin format where only the table-topping side will clinch qualification. Excelsior’20, Voorburg Cricket Club, and VOC Rotterdam will provide the battleground for the teams, with each venue hosting five matches apiece.
The Netherlands will be looking to benefit from their home advantage, although they will face stiff competition from previous Europe Qualifier winners Scotland, and the other sides who will each enter the competition knowing that they are just five wins away from securing a spot at the celebrated event, which has historically forged the careers of some of the most recognizable cricket icons.
Hot on the heels of the Africa Qualifier which concluded last week, the Europe Qualifier aims to continue the high-drama witnessed so far during the qualification pathway ahead of the 15th edition of the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the event, ICC Europe Regional Development Manager Andrew Wright said, “The U19 Men’s Europe Qualifier has a rich history of helping to develop and showcase Europe’s best young talent.”
“In the last three months we have seen Harry Tector scoring a Test half-century at Lord’s, Josh Little playing in an IPL final, Vikramjit Singh hitting an ODI century to help the Dutch to the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup and Tomas Mackintosh help his Scottish team secure a place at the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.”
“Each of these players competed in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Europe pathway in recent years, and are a testament to the benefits of competitive, high-quality junior international cricket.”
“This time round, the Netherlands will play host to five other European nations, and I am looking forward to seeing the next generation of superstars emerge. With one spot available to the main event, the Europe Qualifier promises to be a highly competitive and engaging tournament.”
Monica Visser, Chief Executive Officer of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB), added, “It is an honour for the KNCB to host this year’s ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Europe Qualifier. We hosted the first U19 European Tournament in 1975, with David Gower the big star of that event scoring a couple of centuries. Almost 50 years later, it will be exciting to see which of this year’s participating players will appear on the scorecards of significant importance in the coming years.
“Hosting this Event fits into our long-term vision of growing the game in the Netherlands. Having hosted West Indies, England, New Zealand, and Pakistan last year, we hope this event will help us to attract more young boys and girls into our game.
“I wish all participants success in the upcoming matches. May the best team win and keep up the good spirit.”