As the West Indies - England farce (sorry, series) draws to a close today, keep an eye on the World Cup Qualifiers going on in South Africa, where Ireland and Scotland are among the nations competing for a place at the next tournament. The early pace in Group A has been set by Ireland, justifying their label as pre-tournament favourites after big wins over Scotland and Oman. Canada are also unbeaten in that group, a side which still features the Australian-raised John Davison, scorer of the fastest century in World Cup history against the West Indies in 2003. 39 next month, one wonders if he will be able to reach the next tournament but doubtless qualification would be a great way to sign off.
In Group B, Afghanistan have justified some of their recent positive publicity with 2 wins in 2, against Denmark and Bermuda. Look out for new all-rounder Karim Kahn, who has scored 122 runs and taken 5 wickets already and looks very handy. The Netherlands also have a 100% record, powered as they are by three players with experience of County cricket - Essex's Ryan ten Doeschate (who will leave the competition early to join up with his main employer), Worcestershire's highly promising young opener Alexei Kervezee (scorer of a brilliant 121 not out against Denmark) and the former Sussex batsman Bas Zuiderent.
These four teams have immediately stood out but the likes of Kenya, Scotland and the UAE will also fancy their chances for qualification.
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