“Our confidence is high after the ICC WT20Q. We trained hard in Hong Kong over Christmas and the New Year, and then arrived on 2 January,” remarked Atkinson.In the lead up to the tournament, Hong Kong played two practice games against a local Canterbury side, which the captain believed had been vital for his side’s preparation.“We lost both the matches but the games benefitted us. The lads got used to the conditions, and the matches helped us get over the jet lag and give the lads an opportunity to put their hands up for selection.”Ninth-seeded Nepal will be led by skipper Paras Khadka, who said the tournament was an enormous opportunity for his side.“It is a dream to get to the 50-over World Cup. We’ve already qualified for the World Twenty20 and are very happy about it, so now, we will go out all guns blazing for this tournament,” Khadka said.Nepal trained in Sri Lanka before arriving in New Zealand on 28 December, and the all-rounder said of the preparation: “The main reason we came here early was to acclimatise. We felt that in Bermuda for WCL Division 3 in April 2013, the first week was really hard - the time difference, the temperature. It's really helped us to have the time here.”Namibia captain Sarel Burger, who also played in Namibia’s sole campaign at the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003 said: “I think qualifying for the ICC CWC 2015 would be a dream come true for any cricketer from Namibia."“The wickets in New Zealand are quite quick and quite greenish. I think they favour seam bowlers a bit better. But at the end of the day, you must be prepared to play in any conditions, and the team must be prepared to play wherever."PNG will be aiming to qualify for its maiden global ICC event, and captain Chris Amini believed his side was well prepared for a tough tournament.“We competed in the South Australia Cricket Association’s (SACA) Premier League and won the inaugural T20 Cup. It’s a good sign leading into the ICC CWCQ and we've got momentum leading into the tournament,” he said.The 29-year-old continued: “We’re confident after our performance in the ICC WT20Q in the UAE. It’s a different format here, but we’re confident. We’ve shown that we can compete and beat the top teams on the biggest stage.”Uganda’s Davis Karashani Arinaitwe was hoping to lead his side to qualify for its maiden ICC CWC, something he said would be an historic achievement for his country. “For us as a nation, it would be a very, very big honour. Personally, it would be a dream come true,” he said.The Uganda team arrived in New Zealand on 3 January and played and won two practice matches. But the skipper downplayed the results.
“It's never about the results when you are playing practice games. It is about getting used to the weather and the wickets. It’s about acclimatizing and getting into the New Zealand time zone. We achieved what we wanted in the first few days, so we are good to go for the tournament,” he said.The two groups are:
Group A – UAE (A1), Scotland (A2), Canada (A3), Hong Kong (A4), Nepal (A5)
Group B – The Netherlands (B1), Kenya (B2), Namibia (B3), PNG (B4), Uganda (B5)
Provided they qualify, each of the top three teams will retain its ranking from the Group stage through to the Super Sixe stage, regardless of its finishing position in the group. For example, UAE will be ranked A1 whether it finishes first, second or third at the end of the group stage. If the fourth-ranked team in a group qualifies for the Super Six stage, it will adopt the ranking of the team that it has replaced. For example, if Hong Kong qualifies at the expense of the UAE, Hong Kong would follow the fixtures for A1 in the Super Six Stage.
Match schedule for Monday 13 January, Tuesday 14 January and Wednesday 15 January (starting at 1030 local time)
Monday 13 January
The Netherlands v Uganda, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, North Island
Kenya v PNG, Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, North Island
UAE v Nepal, Rangiora Oval, Christchurch, South Island
Scotland v Hong Kong, Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown, South Island
Tuesday 14 January
Reserve day
Wednesday 15 January
The Netherlands v Namibia, Bay Oval 2, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, North Island
UAE v Canada, Rangiora Oval, Christchurch, South Island
“It's never about the results when you are playing practice games. It is about getting used to the weather and the wickets. It’s about acclimatizing and getting into the New Zealand time zone. We achieved what we wanted in the first few days, so we are good to go for the tournament,” he said.The two groups are:
Group A – UAE (A1), Scotland (A2), Canada (A3), Hong Kong (A4), Nepal (A5)
Group B – The Netherlands (B1), Kenya (B2), Namibia (B3), PNG (B4), Uganda (B5)
Provided they qualify, each of the top three teams will retain its ranking from the Group stage through to the Super Sixe stage, regardless of its finishing position in the group. For example, UAE will be ranked A1 whether it finishes first, second or third at the end of the group stage. If the fourth-ranked team in a group qualifies for the Super Six stage, it will adopt the ranking of the team that it has replaced. For example, if Hong Kong qualifies at the expense of the UAE, Hong Kong would follow the fixtures for A1 in the Super Six Stage.
Match schedule for Monday 13 January, Tuesday 14 January and Wednesday 15 January (starting at 1030 local time)
Monday 13 January
The Netherlands v Uganda, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, North Island
Kenya v PNG, Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, North Island
UAE v Nepal, Rangiora Oval, Christchurch, South Island
Scotland v Hong Kong, Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown, South Island
Tuesday 14 January
Reserve day
Wednesday 15 January
The Netherlands v Namibia, Bay Oval 2, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, North Island
UAE v Canada, Rangiora Oval, Christchurch, South Island
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