Jersey ready to host ICC World Cricket League Division 5

Apart from the home side, Guernsey, Nigeria, Oman, Tanzania and Vanuatu will take part in the weeklong tournament during which 18 matches will be played, with the finalists earning promotion to Division 4 to be staged later in the year.

Oman has been top seeded for the tournament and will enter the competition as the favourites following an impressive debut at the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 where it defeated Ireland. It has retained 12 players from that competition.

Jersey is the defending champion of the tournament, after it beat Malaysia by 71 runs in 2014. However, Jersey and Oman, after finishing in the bottom two of the ICC World Cricket League Division 4, were relegated to Division 5.

The ICC World Cricket League offers teams a chance to get promoted right up to Division 2, which is the final stage in the pathway to qualification for the ICC Intercontinental Cup, ICC’s four-day first-class competition for Associate and Affiliate members, as well as the 50-over ICC World Cricket League Championship.

The winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will play the 10th-ranked Test nation in the four-Test ICC Test Challenge in 2018. If the Intercontinental Cup winner clinches the ICC Test Challenge, then it will become the 11th Test nation until 2022. Similarly, the top sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship, along with the bottom four sides on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings as on 30 September 2017, will qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 with the top two sides progressing to the event proper in 2019.

Squads

Guernsey - James Nussbaumer (captain), Joshua Butler, Max Ellis, Lee Ferbrache, David Hooper, Andrew Hutchinson, Thomas Kimber, Thomas Kirk, Jason Martin, Oliver Newey, Oliver Nightingale, Luke Nussbaumer, GH Smit and Matthew Stokes

Jersey - Peter Gough (captain) Corey Bisson, Corniles Bodenstein, Jake Dunford, Luke Gallichan, William Harris, Anthony Hawkins-Kay, Jonty Jenner, Ben Kynman, Robert McBey, Rhys Palmer, Charles Perchard, Benjamin Stevens and Nathaniel Watkins

Nigeria - Adekunle Adegbola (captain), Abiodun Abioye, Salako Abdulazeez, Sesan Adedeji, Chima Akachukwu, Joshua Ayannaike, Oladije Bejide, Opke Issac, Emmanuel Okwudili, Ademola Onikoyi, Chimezie Onwuzulike, Segun Olayinka, Oluseye Olympio and Leke Oyede 

Oman -  Ajay Lalcheta (captain), Aamir Kaleem,  Bilal Khan, Jatinder Singh, Khawar Ali, Mehran Khan, Munis Ansari, Noorul Riaz, Rajesh Ranpura, Sufyan Mahmood, Swapnil Khadye, Vaibhav Wategaonkar, Zeeshan Maqsood and Zeeshan Siddiqui

Tanzania - Hamisi Abdallah (captain), Athumani Cassim, Arun Dagar, Shaheed Dhanani, Arshaan Jasani, Ashish Kamania, Kishen Kamania, Nasibu Kelvin, Riziki Kiseto, Ally Mpeka, Kassimu Nassoro, Abhik Patwa, Khalil Rehmatulla and Jitin Singh

Vanuatu - Andrew Mansale (captain), Callum Blake, Jelany Chilia, Jonathan Dunn, Wolford Kalworai, Patrick Matautaava, Christion Mete, Nalin Nipiko, Simpson Obed, Joshua Rasu, Apolinaire Stephen, Ronald Tari, Clement Tommy and Jamal Vira

Match officials

Tournament Referee - David Jukes (UK)

Umpires - Mark Hawthorne (Ireland) – Mentor Umpire; Alan Neil (Scotland), Alex Dowdalls (Scotland), Huubert Jensen (The Netherlands), Issac Oyieko (Kenya), Jacqueline Williams (West Indies), Pim Van Liemt (The Netherlands), Sue Redfern (England) and Tabarak Dhar (Hong Kong)

Fixtures

21 May - Jersey vs Oman (Grainville); Tanzania vs Nigeria (Farmers Field); Guernsey vs Vanuatu (FB Fields)
22 May - Jersey vs Vanuatu (Grainville); Guernsey vs Tanzania (Farmers Field); Nigeria vs Oman (FB Fields)
24 May - Nigeria vs Guernsey (Grainville); Vanuatu vs Oman (Farmers Field); Jersey vs Tanzania (FB Fields)
25 May – Oman vs Tanzania (Grainville); Jersey vs Guernsey (Farmers Field); Nigeria vs Vanuatu (FB Fields)
27 May – Vanuatu vs Tanzania (Grainville); Jersey vs Nigeria (Farmers Field); Oman vs Guernsey (FB Fields)
28 May – Final (Grainville); 3 vs 4 play-off (Farmers Field); 5 vs 6 play-off (FB Fields)