Cricket: Blake Park hosts 11 games in ICC qualifying series

The revamped Bay Oval at Blake Park will host 11 games in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 (CWCQ) in January.Photo/File

The Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui will serve up an entree to the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2015 when the Blake Park grounds hosts 11 games in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 (CWCQ) in January 2014.

The attraction for Bay of Plenty cricket fans and families is that all 10 games at the Bay Oval (and the other five venues) have free admission to watch the vital CWCQ encounters.

Hosted by New Zealand Cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 will be played at six venues around the country from January 13 to February 1.

Up for grabs are the two final berths in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which is to be staged in Australia and New Zealand during February and March 2015.

During January next year, some 150 players from some of the ICC Associate and Affiliated members will take part in 34 tournament and 10 warm-up matches throughout the country.

Seeking to join Ireland and Afghanistan, who have already secured two of the four ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 berths available to associate and affiliate nations, are Canada, Hong Kong, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Uganda.

There is likely to be a strong support for the Netherlands in the early matches at the Bay Oval.

The good number of New Zealanders who have Dutch roots should ensure that the side has a good fan base in their two warm-up games and the two CWCQ matches against Uganda and Namibia at the Bay Oval.

The two teams that will depart for other venues after their warm-up games in Mount Maunganui are Canada and United Arab Emirates.

On Friday January 10, United Arab Emirates square off with Uganda while Canada meets the Netherlands. The following day Canada backs up against Uganda with United Arab Emirates meeting the Netherlands.

Papua New Guinea will make their sole appearance in the Western Bay of Plenty in the last pool match at the Bay Oval when they face Namibia. If Kenya play cricket with the same flair as there national sevens rugby team, they could become the real crowd pleasers in the Mount Maunganui leg of the CWCQ tournament.

The winner of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014 will join Pool A alongside Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, while the runner-up will play in Pool B with India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe and West Indies.