Everything you need to know ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifier A

ICC Cricket 17-Feb-2022

Eight of the game’s best sides from the emerging world will battle it out in Oman at the ‘A’ Qualifier for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Two spots for this year’s tournament in Australia will be decided in the week-long tournament, and teams have little time to find their feet in a new, unrelenting format.
Previously played out as a 14-team Global Qualifier, the race for the final T20 World Cup places is now played out through two separate competitions of eight teams, with the first beginning on February 18.

A Qualifier - February 2022 - Oman B Qualifier - July 2022 - Zimbabwe Bahrain Hong Kong Canada Jersey Germany Netherlands Ireland Papua New Guinea Nepal Singapore Oman Uganda Philippines USA UAE Zimbabwe

The eight teams in each qualifier are then divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams after the single round robin group phase progressing to the semi-finals. The top teams after group stage play will take on the second-place finisher in the opposite group, with the semi-final winners booking their ticket for Australia.
The teams will play in a final to determine which First Round group they will enter, with the other teams at the competition playing off for the minor places.
This year’s 16-team field is arguably stronger than that of the previous cycle, with Nepal making a return after a stumble in the Asia qualifier last time out, and UAE in a rich vein of form. Both sides feature in the first qualifier, with Zimbabwe, returning after their suspension during the last cycle, drawn in the second qualifier in July.