The 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off was a cricket tournament that took place in Malaysia from February to March 2024, to decide the final four places in the next CWC Challenge League for the next World Cup cycle.
 | |
| Dates | 22 February – 3 March 2024 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | List A |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin |
| Host(s) | Malaysia |
| Champions |  Kuwait (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Italy |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches | 21 |
| Player of the series |  Haider Butt |
| Most runs | Haider Butt (340) |
| Most wickets | Rizwan Butt (15) |
Kuwait and Tanzania were the first teams to secure a place in the Challenge League.[1] Bahrain also claimed a place,[2] followed by Italy.[3] Kuwait emerged as winners at the end of the tournament.[4]
Format
editThe eight qualified teams were placed into two groups of four, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Super Six stage.[5][6] The best four sides emerging from the Challenge League Play-off competition qualified for the twelve-team World Cup Challenge League field for the next cycle.[7][8]
Qualification
editIn the Challenge League Play-off, the bottom two teams from each of the two groups in the 2019–2022 Challenge League joined four others from outside the 32-team qualification process. These were the four nations with the highest Twenty20 International ranking meeting the following entry requirements:[9]
- They must've had a minimum of eight domestic teams playing regular cricket, including at least five 40+-over matches in each of the two previous years;
- They had to be in the top 40 of the ICC T20I Rankings as of 30 September 2023.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Tanzania qualified for the tournament after meeting the requirements.[10]
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | Number of teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2022 Challenge League (Bottom 4) |
16 September 2019 – 13 December 2022 | Various | 4 |
 Bermuda
|
| Italy
| ||||
 Malaysia
| ||||
 Vanuatu
| ||||
| ICC T20I Rankings (Top 4 meeting requirements) |
30 September 2023 | — | 4 |
Bahrain
|
| Kuwait
| ||||
 Saudi Arabia
| ||||
 Tanzania
| ||||
| Total | 8 |
Squads
editGroup stage
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.292 | Advanced to the Super 6 |
| 2 | Italy
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.574 | |
| 3 | Bermuda
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −1.108 | |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.298 | Eliminated |
Source: ESPNcricinfo[19]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
v
|
||
Marcus Campopiano 101 (117)
Kamau Leverock 5/58 (10 overs) |
- Bermuda won the toss and elected to field.
- Allan Douglas, Chare Smith, Marcus Scotland (Ber), Fida Hussain and Stefano di Bartolomeo (Ita) all made their List A debuts.
- Marcus Campopiano (Ita) scored his first century in List A cricket.[21]
v
|
||
Kashif Siddique 71 (94)
Mohamed Shafeeq 3/37 (6 overs) |
Mohammed Aslam 57* (84)
Usman Najeeb 3/23 (7 overs) |
- Kuwait won the toss and elected to field.
- Ilyas Ahmed, Clinto Anto, Meet Bhavsar, Adnan Idrees, Shiraz Khan, Usman Patel, Yasin Patel, Mohamed Shafeeq, Bilal Tahir (Kuw), Ishtiaq Ahmad, Manan Ali, Atif-Ur-Rehman, Faisal Khan, Usman Najeeb, Hisham Sheikh, Kashif Siddique, Zain Ul Abidin, Waji Ul Hassan, Waqar Ul Hassan and Abdul Waheed (Sau) all made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
Wayne Madsen 103 (92)
Usman Najeeb 2/40 (7 overs) |
Hisham Sheikh 59* (101)
Stefano di Bartolomeo 3/30 (7 overs) |
- Saudi Arabia won the toss and elected to field.
- No further play was possible due to rain.
- Shahzaib (Sau) made his List A debut.
v
|
||
Delray Rawlins 75 (95)
Zain Ul Abidin 3/27 (5.3 overs) |
Hisham Sheikh 45 (78)
Dominic Sabir 3/33 (10 overs) |
- Bermuda won the toss and elected to bat.
- Usman Khalid and Imran Yousaf (Sau) both made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
Mohammad Amin 61 (84)
Gareth Berg 3/36 (10 overs) |
Grant Stewart 21 (11)
Yasin Patel 3/11 (7 overs) |
- Kuwait won the toss and elected to bat.
- Mohammad Amin and Shahrukh Quddus (Kuw) both made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
Terryn Fray 50 (86)
Sayed Monib 5/40 (10 overs) |
Meet Bhavsar 101 (131)
Zeko Burgess 1/25 (6 overs) |
- Bermuda won the toss and elected to bat.
- Jarryd Richardson (Ber) and Ilyas Ahmed (Kuw) both made their List A debuts.
- Sayed Monib (Kuw) took his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.
- Meet Bhavsar (Kuw) scored his first century in List A cricket.
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanzania
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.633 | Advanced to the Super 6 |
| 2 | Bahrain
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.713 | |
| 3 | Vanuatu
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −0.791 | |
| 4 | Malaysia
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −0.742 | Eliminated |
Source: ESPNcricinfo[19]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
v
|
||
Andrew Mansale 32 (30)
Ali Dawood 2/13 (8 overs) |
- Vanuatu won the toss and elected to field.
- Imran Anwar, Junaid Aziz, Shabaz Badar, Haider Butt, Rizwan Butt, Sachin Kumar, Prashant Kurup (Bhr) and Tim Cutler (Van) all made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
Akhil Anil 47 (61)
Patrick Matautaava 3/23 (8.2 overs) |
Jarryd Allan 31 (30)
Kassim Nassoro 4/28 (8.5 overs) |
- Tanzania won the toss and elected to bat.
- Akhil Anil, Laksh Bakrania, Mohamed Issa, Zamoyoni Jabeneke, Salum Jumbe, Ally Kimote, Omary Kitunda, Kassim Nassoro, Abhik Patwa, Ivan Selemani, SanjayKumar Thakor (Tan) all made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
Ivan Selemani 82 (70)
Ali Dawood 3/12 (5.3 overs) |
- Tanzania won the toss and elected to bat.
v
|
||
- Vanuatu won the toss and elected to field.
- Aqeel Wahid (Mas) made his List A debut.
- Khizar Hayat (Mas) took his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.
Super 6
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2.215 | Qualified for the 2024–2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League |
| 2 | Italy
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1.163 | |
| 3 | Bahrain
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0.565 | |
| 4 | Tanzania
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −0.356 | |
| 5 | Vanuatu
|
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | −1.999 | Eliminated |
| 6 | Bermuda
|
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | −1.590 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo[19]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Results of games between tied teams; 4) Net run rate[20]
v
|
||
Akhil Anil 68 (87)
Cejay Outerbridge 4/46 (9 overs) |
- Tanzania won the toss and elected to bat.
- Cejay Outerbridge and Jermal Proctor (Ber) both made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
- Bermuda won the toss and elected to field.
v
|
||
Junaid Aziz 62 (128)
Shahrukh Quddus 4/30 (9 overs) |
Meet Bhavsar 71 (92)
Rizwan Butt 2/44 (9 overs) |
- Kuwait won the toss and elected to field.
- Kuwait were set a revised target of 185 runs from 43 overs due to rain.
v
|
||
Wayne Madsen 110 (71)
Johnson Nyambo 3/50 (7 overs) |
- Italy won the toss and elected to bat.
- Johnson Nyambo and Yalinde Nkanya (Tan) both made their List A debuts.
v
|
||
- Vanuatu won the toss and elected to bat.
- Joshua Rasu (Van) took his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.
v
|
||
Prashant Kurup 79 (103)
Derrick Brangman 4/48 (9 overs) |
- Bahrain won the toss and elected to bat.
- Bermuda were set a revised target of 162 runs from 25 overs due to rain.
- Sathaiya Veerapathiran and Mohsin Zaki (Bhr) both made their List A debuts.
Final standings
edit| Pos. | Teams | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait |
Qualified for the 2024–2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League
|
| 2 | Italy
| |
| 3 | Bahrain
| |
| 4 | Tanzania
| |
| 5 | Vanuatu |
Eliminated from the 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification
|
| 6 | Bermuda
| |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia
| |
| 8 | Malaysia
|
References
edit- ^ Beswick, Daniel (29 February 2024). "Tanzania and Kuwait promoted to Challenge League spots after opening Super Six victories". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "The high-stakes Battle of Bangi ahead of Italy and Vanuatu as three others claim Challenge League tickets". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Beswick, Daniel (3 March 2024). "Italy prevail in heart-stopping Battle of Bangi to re-claim Challenge League spot". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Kuwait crowned champions of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Playoff". The Times. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Challenge League Play-off Long Read: Eight-team tournament to decide Challenge League line-up for next Cricket World Cup cycle". Emerging Cricket. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Bermuda cricket team back in training ahead of Malaysia competition". The Royal Gazette. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Four Challenge League spots to be claimed via Malaysia Play-off on road to 2027". International Cricket Council. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ de Jong, Bertus (16 August 2019). "Explainer: With 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifying process underway, here's a breakdown of ICC's new-look league structure". Firstpost. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualification Pathway Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). International Cricket Council. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "ICC announce CWC Challenge League play-off tournament in 2023". Czarsportz. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Team Bahrain is READY to rock the ICC CWC Challenger League playoffs in Malaysia!". Cricket Bahrain. Retrieved 10 February 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Kamau Leverock included in national squad after surprise U-turn". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "La Nazionale Italiana in Malesia per I Playoff della Cricket World Cup Challenge League" [The Italian national team in Malaysia for the Cricket World Cup Challenge League Playoffs]. Italian Cricket Federation (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Kuwait National Men's team powered by Al Muzaini Exchange; led by Captain Mohammed Aslam set to depart for Malaysia to participate in the 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off 50 Overs Tournament". Kuwait Cricket. Retrieved 14 February 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Meet Team Malaysia". Malaysian Cricket Association. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Facebook.
- ^ "The list of the Saudi national team participating in the Challenge League in the Qualifiers of the World Cup 2027, held in Malaysia!". Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation. Retrieved 22 February 2024 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Men National Team — The national team squad is all set to depart for Kenya tonight with a 10-day tour where they will play the Kenya XI side for five one-day games in Nairobi". Tanzania Cricket Association. Retrieved 4 February 2024 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu Men's Team Ready for ICC CWC Challenge League 2024 Playoff in Malaysia". Vanuatu Cricket. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "CWC Play-off Points Table | CWC Play-off Standings | CWC Play-off Ranking". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Controversy and confusion at Challenge Play-off: Malaysia crash out despite dubious tactic". Cricbuzz. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Bermuda feel heat of Italian job". The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 22 February 2024.