International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the first eight series of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, beginning this August on the Road to India 2023.
World Cup League 2 provides more competitive cricket for Namibia, Nepal, Oman, PNG, Scotland, UAE and USA, with each team playing 36 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) over two and a half years from August 2019 to January 2022, where teams are just two steps away from the Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. The league will see 126 ODIs played across 21 tri-series, with the first series kicking off in Scotland on August 14.
Scotland will host Oman and Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the first series taking place in Aberdeen on the Road to India 2023. Each series will see teams play a total of six ODIs competing for the top three spots of the League 2 table which will confirm their place in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2022.
The bottom four teams will drop into the Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-Off 2022, which is a repechage event to the Global Qualifier, and will be joined by the winner of Challenge League A and B. The top two teams from the Play-Off will keep their hopes alive of participating in India 2023.
For the first time in cricket's history, 20 teams will have ODI status, providing more opportunity for ODI cricket both in ICC events and member organised bilateral cricket.
ICC General Manager Development, William Glenwright said: "It is hugely exciting to see the first dates in the schedule for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2. 126 ODIs over two and half years and three places in the Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier gives teams so much to play for through a schedule that provides teams with much more international cricket in fixed windows to allow for better preparation and planning."
"The new structure, which has been developed in close consultation with the Members, will present some outstanding cricket and, most importantly, will ensure that the Associate Members that qualify for the Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier are even better prepared to stake their claim for a place at India 2023," Glenwright added.