ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier explained

The Cricket World Cup Qualifier (previously called the ICC Trophy and officially known as the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier) is a One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that serves as the culmination of the qualification process for the Cricket World Cup. It is usually played in the year before the World Cup. Although the tournament has used a variety of different formats, a final qualification event has been a feature of every World Cup since 1979.

From 1979 to 2001, all associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) were eligible to participate in the ICC Trophy. Regional qualification was introduced for the 2005 ICC Trophy – the final tournament to bear that name – with the World Cricket League (WCL) introduced in 2007. Until 2015, automatic qualification was granted to all full members of the ICC. However, for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, only the top eight teams in the ICC ODI Championship were given automatic qualification, meaning ICC full members played in the Qualifier for the first time. The WCL was discontinued in 2019, with qualification for the World Cup Qualifier instead determined by a series of leagues including the Super League, League 2 and Challenge League.^[2]

The number of qualifying berths available from the World Cup Qualifier currently stands at two for the 2023 event, but has varied from a minimum of one (1982, 1986, 1990) to a maximum of five (2005). Zimbabwe is the most successful team, having won three consecutive titles between 1982 and 1990, while Scotland and Sri Lanka are the only other teams to have won multiple titles. Historically performance at the World Cup Qualifier has been a key determinant for elevation to full membership of the ICC and Test status, with Sri Lanka (1981), Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000) being awarded full membership after ICC Trophy wins.

In September 2018, the ICC confirmed that all matches in the ICC World Cup Qualifier will have ODI status, regardless if a team does not have ODI status prior to the start of an individual tournament event.^{[3] [4]}

Results

Year	Host nation	Final venue	Winner	Margin	Runner Up
		Worcester	324-8 (60 overs)	60 runs Scorecard	264-5 (60 overs)
		Leicester	232-5 (54.3 overs)	5 wickets Scorecard	231-8 (60 overs)
		London	243-9 (60 overs)	25 runs Scorecard	218 all out (58.4 overs)
		The Hague	198-4 (54.2 overs)	6 wickets Scorecard	197-9 (60 overs)
		Nairobi	282-8 (49.1 overs)	2 wickets Scorecard	281-6 (50 overs)
		Kuala Lumpur	166-8 (25 overs)	2 wickets (D/L method) Scorecard	241-7 (50 overs)
		Toronto	196-8 (50 overs)	2 wickets Scorecard	195-9 (50 overs)
	Ireland	Dublin	324-8 (50 overs)	47 runs Scorecard	277-9 (50 overs)
		Centurion	188-1 (42.3 overs)	9 wickets Scorecard	185 all out (48 overs)
	New Zealand	Lincoln	285-5 (50 overs)	41 runs Scorecard	244-9 (50 overs)
	Zimbabwe	Harare	206-3 (40.1 overs)	7 wickets Scorecard	204 all out (46.5 overs)
	Zimbabwe	Harare	233 all out (47.5 overs)	128 runs Scorecard	105 all out (23.3 overs)

Leaderboard

Teams reaching the top four

Team	Titles	Runners-up	Third place	width=20%	Fourth place
	3 (1982, 1986, 1990)		1 (2018)	1 (2023)
	2 (2005, 2014)		2 (1997, 2023)	2 (2001, 2018)
	2 (1979, 2023)
	1 (2001)	3 (1986, 1990, 2023)	2 (1994, 2009)
	1 (2009)	1 (2005)		1 (1997)
	1 (1994)	1 (2014)
	1 (1997)		1* (1990)	1 (1982)
	1 (2018)
		2 (1979, 2009)	2 (2001, 2005)
		2 (1994, 1997)	1* (1990)	1 (2009)
		1 (1982)	1* (1979)	3 (1986, 1994, 2005)
		1 (2001)
		1 (2018)
			2 (1979*, 1986)
			1 (1982)	1 (2014)
			1 (2014)

• No play-off for third place was held at the 1979 and 1990 tournaments – teams defeated in the semi-finals are deemed to have shared third place and are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Teams' performances

Legend

• Teams that qualified for the World Cup due to their performance in a particular edition are underlined.
• AQ – Team received automatic qualification to the World Cup, so did not participate in the Qualifier
• – Champions
• – Runners-up
• – Third place
• – Losing semi-finalist (no third-place play-off)
• R1, R2 – First round, second round (no further play-offs)
• PO – Team lost in an inter-round play-off (2001 only; ranked 9th–10th)
• × – Qualified, but withdrew

Team	1979	1982	1986	1990	1994	1997	2001	2005	2009	2014	2018	2023
Africa
	—	R1	R1	SF	2nd	2nd	AQ		4th	5th	—	—
	Ineligible				R1	15th	2nd	7th	8th	6th	—	—
	Ineligible						PO	12th	10th	10th	—	—
	—	1st	1st	1st	AQ						3rd	4th
Americas
	R1	×	R1	R1	R1	21st	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	SF	2nd	4th	R1	4th	9th	PO	4th	9th	—	—	—
	2nd	R1	R1	R2	R2	7th	3rd	3rd	2nd	8th	—	—
	R1	R1	R1	R2	R1	12th	7th	10th	—	—	—	10th
	AQ										2nd	5th
Asia
	Ineligible							—	5th	AQ	bgcolor=gold	1st	AQ
	R1	4th	R1	SF	R2	bgcolor=gold	1st	AQ
	—	R1	R1	R1	R2	8th	R1	—	—	3rd	10th	—
	R1	R1	R1	R1	R1	16th	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	Ineligible					—	R1	—	—	9th	8th	8th
	Ineligible							9th	11th	—	—	6th
	R1	R1	×	R1	19th	14th	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	1st	AQ										1st
	Ineligible				1st	10th	5th	6th	7th	2nd	6th	9th
East Asia - Pacific
	R1	R1	R1	R1	R1	11th	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	R1	3rd	R1	R2	R1	13th	R1	11th	—	4th	9th	—
Europe
	SF	×	3rd	R2	R1	5th	6th	8th	12th	—	—	—
	Ineligible						R1	—	—	—	—	—
	Ineligible						R1	—	—	—	—	—
	—	R1	R1	R1	20th	19th	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	Ineligible				R2	4th	8th	2nd	bgcolor=gold	1st	AQ	5th	7th
	R1	R1	R1	R1	R1	22nd	R1	—	—	—	—	—
	Ineligible					19th	×	—	—	—	—	—
	R1	R1	bgcolor=silver	2nd	2nd	3rd	6th	bgcolor=gold	1st	5th	3rd	7th	7th	bgcolor=silver	2nd
	Ineligible					3rd	4th	bgcolor=gold	1st	6th	bgcolor=gold	1st	4th	3rd
Defunct teams
	R1	R1	R1	ICC membership ceased
	—	—	—	R1	18th	17th	R1	ICC membership ceased
	—	R1	—	—	17th	18th	×	ICC membership ceased
	R1	Invited as a guest team for the 1979 tournament; never an ICC member

Tournament records

Team records

Highest innings totals

Score	Batting team	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
455/9 (60 overs)			Cannock & Rugeley Cricket Club, Cannock, England	18 June 1986	Scorecard
425/4 (60 overs)			Old Silhillians, Solihull, England	18 June 1986	Scorecard
408/6 (50 overs)			Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe	26 June 2023	Scorecard
407/8 (60 overs)			Griff and Coton Ground, Nuneaton, England	13 June 1986	Scorecard
404/9 (60 overs)			Sportpark de Dennen, Nijmegen, Netherlands	8 June 1990	Scorecard
Updated: 26 June 2023[5]

Lowest innings totals

Score	Batting team	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
26 (15.2 overs)			Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	24 March 1997	Scorecard
32 (19 overs)			University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	30 March 1997	Scorecard
41 (20.4 overs)			Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City, Canada	28 June 2001	Scorecard
41 (15.1 overs)			Drummond Cricket Club, Limavady, Northern Ireland	5 July 2005	Scorecard
44 (27.1 overs)			Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	27 March 1997	Scorecard
Updated: 7 April 2023[6]

Individual records

Most runs

Rank	Runs	Innings	Batsman	Team	Span
align=center	1	1,369	33			2001–2014
align=center	2	1,173	24			1990–1997
align=center	3	1,048	32			1994–2014
align=center	4	1,040	18			1990–1994
align=center	5	916	18			2001–2018
Updated: 7 April 2023[7]

Highest individual score

Rank	Runs	Batsman	Batting team	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
align=center	1	175				Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	23 January 2014	Scorecard
align=center	2	174				Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe	26 June 2023	Scorecard
align=center	3	172				High Town, Bridgnorth, England	11 June 1986	Scorecard
align=center	4	170*				Senwes Park, Potchefstroom, South Africa	13 April 2009	Scorecard
align=center	5	169*				ACC Ground, Amstelveen, Netherlands	4 June 1990	Scorecard
Updated: 26 June 2023[8]

Most wickets

Rank	Wickets	Matches	Bowler	Team	T20I career span
align=center	1	71	43			1986–2001
align=center	2	63	26			1979–1994
align=center	3	50	27			1997–2009
align=center	4	48	30			1986–1997
align=center	5	44	23			1986–1994
Updated: 7 April 2023[9]

Best bowling figures

Rank	Figures	Bowler	Bowling team	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
align=center	1	7/9 (7.2 overs)	Asim Khan			Royal Military College, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	24 March 1997	Scorecard
align=center rowspan=2	2	7/19 (8.4 overs)	Ole Mortensen			Impala Sports Club, Nairobi, Kenya	24 February 1994	Scorecard
7/21 (8 overs)	Bhawan Singh			Nairobi Club Ground, Nairobi, Kenya	14 February 1994	Scorecard
align=center	4	7/23 (9.2 overs)				Water Orton, Birmingham, England	24 May 1979	Scorecard
align=center	5	6/11 (6.5 overs)				Knowle and Dorridge Cricket Club, England	27 June 1986	Scorecard
Updated: 7 April 2023[10]

By tournament

width=12%	Year !	width=22%	Player of the final !	width=22%	Player of the tournament !	width=22%	Most runs !	width=22%	Most wickets
			Duleep Mendis (221)	John Vaughan (14)
			Colin Blades (310)	Elvin James (15)
			Paul Prashad (533)	Ronnie Elferink (23)
			Nolan Clarke (523)	Eddo Brandes (18)
			Nolan Clarke (517)	Fred Arua (19) Gavin Murgatroyd (19)
			Maurice Odumbe (517)	Aasif Karim (19) Asim Khan (19) Mohammad Rafique (19)
			Daniel Keulder (366)	Roland Lefebvre (20) Søren Vestergaard (19)
			Bas Zuiderent (474)	Paul Hoffmann (17) Edgar Schiferli (17)
			David Hemp (557)	Edgar Schiferli (24)
			Khurram Khan (581)	Haseeb Amjad (20)
			Brendan Taylor (457)	Mujeeb Ur Rahman (16)
			Sean Williams (600)	Wanindu Hasaranga (22)

See also

• ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

Notes and References

1. Web site: Qualification pathway for 14-team 2027 men's ODI World Cup approved . 17 November 2021 . 17 November 2021 . ESPNcricinfo.
2. Web site: The road to World Cup 2023: how teams can secure qualification, from rank No. 1 to 32 . ESPN Cricinfo . 14 August 2019.
3. Web site: ICC awards Asia Cup ODI status . International Cricket Council . 9 September 2018 .
4. Web site: All Asia Cup matches awarded ODI status . ESPN Cricinfo . 9 September 2019 .
5. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / Highest Totals. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.
6. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / Lowest Totals. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.
7. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / Most Runs. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.
8. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / High Scores. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.
9. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / Most Wickets. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.
10. Web site: Records / ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (ICC Trophy) / Best Bowling Figures in an Innings. ESPNcricinfo. 7 April 2023.