ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019: 100 Days-to-Go
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: The official ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy tour began its 100-day journey of the country today transported in the 100% electric Nissan LEAF - Europe’s top-selling electric vehicle (EV) - making this tour the first ICC Trophy Tour powered by an all-electric vehicle. The Trophy Tour will compromise of over 100 events across 115 locations to ensure all fans get the opportunity to ‘get up close and personal’ with the trophy. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images for CWC19)
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019: 100 Days-to-Go

The qualification campaign for the 2023 ODI World Cup - which will once again feature only ten teams - is well and truly underway, and it could be a shock entrant in Jersey who causes the most intrigue around the final qualification tournament.

While the top seven teams from the Super League will all qualify alongside India who are the host nation, the qualifier tournament, which is to be played in Zimbabwe during June and July next year, will feature ten teams vying for two spots.

Those teams will be made up with the final five teams from the Super League (currently Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands), as well as the top three teams from League 2 (currently Oman, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates) and two teams from a playoff that will feature the bottom four League 2 teams (currently the USA, Namibia, Nepal and Papua New Guinea) as well as Jersey and the other group winner in the Challenge League.

Jersey surprised in their Group B performances out of the third tier of the ICC's set up, defeating far more well established teams like Uganda, Hong Kong, Kenya and Bermuda, with Italy the other team in their group.

Qualifying ahead of Uganda on net run rate, they will likely be joined by Canada, who currently hold the lead of Group A.

What will give Jersey an advantage over the teams at the bottom of League 2 and the Super League heading into the ten-team qualifier is their winning form - having won 11 out of 15 games during the challenger league campaign over the past three years - something made all the more difficult by constant changes to the schedule caused by coronavirus.

While only two spots will be awarded from the qualifier tournament to be held in Zimbabwe next year, qualifying for it alone is a cause for celebration to the tiny Island nation's cricket programme, with a promotion to League 2 in the next cycle almost guaranteed because of it, while teams at the bottom of the current League 2 are at risk of demotion.