Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka have guaranteed their spot in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be hosted in Australia, after the four countries proceeded to the ‘Super 12’ stage of the T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the UAE. Namibia, the storey of Round 1, have qualified for the ‘Super 12s’ in their first ever T20 World Cup and will now return for the event in Australia in 12 months’ time. They are joined by Bangladesh, Scotland and Sri Lanka, confirming 12 out of the 16 slots at the World Cup. Afghanistan, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies and hosts Australia, had already qualified for the 2022 showpiece, gaining direct entry to the Super 12 of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 by virtue of being inside the top-eight on the Men’s T20 Rankings at the cut-off prior to the postponed 2020 event.
The four remaining seats will be filled via the continuing qualification process taking place across the five zones, culminating in two global qualifying events in early 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement late on Sunday. ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley stated, “We have already witnessed some really tough cricket in round one of the Men’s T20 World Cup culminating with Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka claiming their spots in the Super 12s and thereby qualifying for Australia 2022. “Namibia and Scotland in particular have presented us with some excellent tales over the past two weeks reaffirming T20 cricket as the worldwide development vehicle of the sport.
We look forward to seeing which four teams will gain the remaining seats for Australia 2022 through the two global qualifiers next year.” For the 12 automatic qualifiers there is still something to play for in this competition in terms of Australia 2022. Teams may earn their berth in the Australia 2022 Super 12s, by finishing as either champion or runner up in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 or as one of the next six highest-ranked teams (as of November 15, 2021). (as of November 15, 2021). Men’s T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO, Michelle Enright remarked, “We congratulate Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka for qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
We can’t wait to welcome all the teams and their followers for an outstanding festival of cricket and culture this time next year. “We will be monitoring the future worldwide qualifying tournaments with interest to see who can make it through to secure the last four slots at next year’s event.” The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will feature 16 nations playing 45 matches throughout the country in what will be the biggest global sporting event to be staged in Australia next year.
