PLANET CRICKET At the heart of the Global Game

Tim Wigmore on why the World Cup qualifiers are much more important than just about reaching the tournament

Three weeks in March will bring the most pressurised cricket of the entire year. Not the Ashes, England v India or even the Indian Premier League: the Cricket World Cup qualifiers.
It is a tournament that, more than any other, can reshape the entire future of cricket nations. Ireland would never have Test status today had they not come through the qualifiers for past World Cups. And because of two defeats in January 2014, the Nether...