Emerging countries compete for place in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

The ICC today confirmed the eight nations to contest the ICC Trophy qualifying tournament in Malaysia next year (known as the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifying Series Division 2) - an event that will move one country closer to a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

The Cayman Islands, Fiji, Italy, Kuwait, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Qatar and Zambia will compete in the qualifying tournament (22-27 February), with the winner travelling to Ireland next year for the ICC Trophy in July.

The five highest ranked teams from the ICC Trophy then qualify for the ICC CWC 2007 in the West Indies.

The ICC Trophy qualifying tournament forms part of the overall ICC World Cup Qualifying Series (WCQS) structure.

It gives emerging nations a clear qualifying path to follow, as they seek to secure a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

ICC Global Development Manager Matthew Kennedy said the qualification structure provided greater opportunity for nations seeking to gain a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

"The new qualification structure, which has been developed and refined over the past few years, has really opened up participation opportunities for Associate and Affiliate nations," said Mr Kennedy.

"The structure not only provides more competition for these nations, but gives them a clear path to follow and a realistic chance to qualify for cricket's pinnacle one-day international tournament.

"This has certainly increased the commitment, aspirations and desire from countries to continue building and improving their performance, because they have a tangible target to work toward."

Teams competing in the WCQS Division 2 tournament in Malaysia qualified either by winning their own regional qualifying series, or by narrowly missing out on direct qualification for the ICC Trophy.

The results from the five regional qualifying tournaments were:

After finishing top of the table in the Africa Cricket Championships (1-8 August 2004), Namibia and Uganda move into the main draw for next year's ICC Trophy while Zambia, which finished third in the championships, heads to Malaysia for a second chance to qualify from the WCQS Division 2.

In the Americas Cricket Championships, the top three finishers - Canada, USA and Bermuda - won direct entry into the ICC Trophy, while fourth-placed Cayman Islands has another chance to qualify for the main event if they win the WCQS Division 2 tournament in February.

The results of the Asia Cricket Council tournament in June saw the United Arab Emirates and Oman progress through to the ICC Trophy, while Kuwait, Qatar and Nepal must play-off in the WCQS Division 2 tournament in February for a chance to join their Asian neighbours in the main draw for the ICC Trophy.

Fiji won the East Asia-Pacific Challenge in May this year, joining Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the WCQS Division 2 tournament. PNG gained automatic qualification as the established top-ranked country in the region.

Denmark, Holland, Ireland and Scotland gained automatic qualification for the ICC Trophy as the established top-ranked countries in Europe. Italy advanced through to the WCQS Division 2 tournament after winning the second division of the European Championships (18-24 July) with five straight victories.

The ICC Trophy is a 12-team tournament to be staged in Ireland from 1-14 July 2005.

With the 12th team to be decided by February's WCQS Division 2 tournament in Malaysia, the 11 confirmed nations for the event cover four of the ICC's five regional development areas: Africa (Namibia and Uganda), Americas (Bermuda, Canada and USA), Asia (United Arab Emirates and Oman) and Europe (Denmark, Holland, Ireland and Scotland).

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will be contested by 16 teams - the 10 ICC Full Members, Kenya, and the top five teams from the ICC Trophy in Ireland 2005.