One ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier spot up for grabs in EAP final

· One team from PNG, Philippines and Vanuatu to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier

· 24 teams remain in the hunt for Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier places which is to be hosted in the UAE 

· Match schedules for all regional T20 Finals confirmed

· Qualification pathway to ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 attached

Only 24 teams remain from the 68 that started the regional qualification process for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 in February 2018. Seven of those 24 teams from the Africa, Americas, Asia, EAP and Europe Finals will join Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE and Zimbabwe in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier between 11 October and 3 November, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup EAP Final which is being hosted in Amini Park, PNG has been impacted by the effects of a tropical storm in the area in recent days and has seen severe unseasonal rainfall. This has significantly hampered on ground preparations, as a result there will be a pitch inspection ahead of the first day’s play. There are a total of four reserve sessions should the rain have an impact on the tournament.

All three captains are raring to go and looking forward to the challenge of qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.

PNG captain, Assadollah Vala said: “It means so much to be hosting this tournament. We have worked really hard on our game, the fielding, the batting and the bowling and looking forward to going out there and showing what we can do. We can’t control the weather but we are preparing the best we can and we will be focused and ready to go when the tournament starts.”

Vanuatu captain, Andrew Mansale said: “It would be a big boost for cricket in Vanuatu if we were able to qualify to the next stage. The Vanuatu people support cricket and follow us around the world so it would be great to reward them for their support.

“We are looking forward to play good cricket against two good teams and testing our skills. We have worked hard over last few years for this opportunity and we are ready.”

Philippines captain, Jonathan Hill said: “Qualifying at this next level would be a dream come true not only for myself and the players but for the coaching staff, sponsors, PCA administrators and the entire Philippine nation. We are hoping to build on the momentum from our success in Manila and are looking to inspire a new generation of Filipino cricketers. We have supporters in the Philippines and all over the world and we want to play in a spirit that does them proud.”

The confirmed match schedules for the 2019 regional finals are as follows:

One team will qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019