Krefeld (Germany), July 15 (IANS) Jersey defeated Norway by six wickets at the Krefeld Cricket Ground to claim the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B title. The win means Jersey join the Netherlands, Italy, and Scotland at next year’s Europe Qualifier, with one remaining spot to be determined next month.
Led by captain Charles “Chuggy” Perchard, Jersey remain undefeated in the competition, winning three of their group games against Serbia, Switzerland, and Belgium, with the game against Croatia ending without a result. In the final, Jersey were up against Norway, who themselves had won their four previous group games against Sweden, Slovenia, Germany, and Gibraltar.
Winning the toss and bowl first, Jersey took the initiative early on by bowling out Norway for 69 in the 16th over. For Jersey, Ben Ward starred with 3-9, while Dan Birrell, Julius Sumerauer, and Perchard chipped in with two wickets apiece.
In the chase, Jersey fell to 41/4 but got over the line with batters Asa Tribe and Charlie Brennan combining in a 30-run partnership. Ward was named the Player of the Match for his bowling efforts and also walked away with the Player of the Tournament accolade with 13 wickets throughout the competition.
“It’s been a huge team effort. All the guys who have stepped onto the field have contributed at various points. We spoke about making real statements to the world that we’re too good to play at this level and we played four games and won convincingly against four opponents, which is what we set out to do.”
“We’re hugely excited about playing in the event next year. The boys are super motivated to qualify for the World Cup having seen the Associates perform well last month and it gives us the fire in the belly to potentially make it ourselves. Next year is another opportunity; we’ll have to play some great cricket but we’re looking forward to it,” said Perchard.
The win means Jersey progress to the Europe Qualifier, set to take place in 2025 alongside the Netherlands, Italy, and Scotland. The final spot for the qualifiers will be determined at the Europe Sub Regional Qualifier C which will be held in Guernsey from August 21.
Next on the qualification calendar for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be the EAP Sub Regional Qualifier A in Samoa, starting August 17, where four nations will go head-to-head to book their spot in the next round of qualification.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams, with 12 automatic qualifiers and eight teams that qualify through regional pathway events. Sub Regional Qualifiers will be held across other ICC regions throughout 2024, with their respective regional finals also being held in 2025.
The automatic qualifiers comprise Super 8 qualifying teams at the recently-concluded 2024 edition — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, cup holders India, South Africa, West Indies, and the USA.
Sri Lanka also qualify automatically as hosts with Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan completing the lineup by virtue of being the three next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table on June 30.
–IANS
nr/bsk/
