Canada open Intercontinental Cup against Afghanistan

Canada will take on defending champions Afghanistan in the opening game for both teams in the 2011-13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. The game will be played in Canada from August 2-5. The teams will also play two ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.

Though first-time participants, Afghanistan were surprise winners of the 2009-10 edition of the tournament, beating Scotland in the final after topping the points table. Their finest hour during the league stages came when they chased down 474 against Canada for the loss of just four wickets. That match was emblematic of Canada's season as they struggled to convert early advantages into wins and finished last in the table.

Cricket Canada is still in the process of determining the venues for the games against Afghanistan and will announce them shortly. Overall, Afghanistan have won three out of five games against Canada, with a two-to-one record in ODIs.

The Intercontinental Cup is part of the ICC's cricket development programme and was designed to give Associate Members the opportunity to play first-class cricket against teams of similar abilities and to prepare them for eventual promotion to Test status. The winners of the four-day tournament will receive US$ 100,000 with US$ 40,000 for second place from a total prize fund of US$ 254,000. Unsurprisingly, Ireland are the tournament's most successful side, having won three straight titles from 2005 to 2007-08.