2006: Year in review
What follows is a complete version of our year in review series of articles published in December 2006. We start with the associates, then move on to the affiliates.
Argentina
Argentina’s year started with a drawn series against a strong MCC side led by Mike Gatting and featuring the likes of Andy Flower, Richard Dawson and Anthony McGrath. This was closely followed by Division Two of the Americas Championship, which Argentina hosted, and won without losing a match.
Things didn’t go quite as well in Division One in Canada in August, when Argentina failed to win a game. They do however, have the significant compensation of a WCL Division Five spot in 2008, keeping their 2011 World Cup dreams alive.
Belgium
It was a quiet year for Belgium, with no cricket for the national side. They appointed a new coach as they prepare for the European Division Three Championship in August, which they will again host.
Bermuda
Bermuda’s first year of ODI status has been somewhat of an up and down affair. In my role as editor of the Bermuda section of CricketEurope, I have covered them there, so you can read a full detailed review here.
Botswana
Botswana’s only cricket this year was the WCL Africa Division Two tournament in which they finished as runners-up to Tanzania. It was a fine performance for them though, as they were only made an associate in 2005.
Canada
Canada’s first year of ODI status was a hit and miss affair to say the least. Whilst they’ve been successful in the Intercontinental Cup, reaching the final, their ODI form has been very patchy. They lost against Bermuda and Zimbabwe in Trinidad back in May, and also lost against Bermuda and Kenya twice each at home in August, despite winning the Intercontinental Cup games against both opponents. They also were upset by the Cayman Islands in the Americas Championship.
Canada’s ODI form improved for the games in South Africa in November, winning both matches against Bermuda, but losing to the Netherlands. They were missing the likes of John Davison, Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff for this tournament, which is a good sign, as it shows Canada have more depth than previously thought.
The Canadians batting has improved throughout the year, with John Davison, Geoff Barnett and Qaiser Ali all picking up their first first-class centuries.
The Canadian women made their international debut in September, starting well with a win over Bermuda, but lost the remaining two games in the series, thus missing out on any hope of qualification for the 2009 World Cup.
Cayman Islands
As already mentioned, the Cayman Islands gained an upset win over Canada in the Americas Championship, also beating Argentina. This gained them qualification for Division Three of the ICC World Cricket League in 2007. They also took part in the Stanford 20/20, beating the Bahamas in the preliminary round, but were then knocked out by the eventual runners-up Trinidad & Tobago in the first round proper.
Denmark
Denmark had a reasonable year internationally, starting with an 8 wicket defeat of the Netherlands A team. No upset win against the Dutch first team for them though, as they lost by 5 wickets the following day. They then gained two comprehensive wins over Kenya A at the end of June/beginning of July.
Denmark’s only win in the European Championship came against Italy, as they finished fourth, but almost gave Scotland a scare with a 3 run loss. The bad news for Danish cricket is the news that Amjad Khan has turned his back on Denmark, and will only be playing for England in future. He will not be available for Denmark when they play in Division Two of the ICC World Cricket League next year. Another reason why the ICC need to change their eligibility requirements. Khan has played more than 20 times for Denmark, plus the 1998 Under 19 World Cup. There is no way he should be able to switch.
A review of the Danish domestic season can be found here.
Fiji
Fiji played in the EAP Cricket Trophy in June/July in Brisbane. They played two matches each against the Cook Islands and Japan, winning all four and qualifying for Division Three of the ICC World Cricket League. That tournament is scheduled to take place in Australia next year, and with the chairman of the Fijian Cricket Association being a member of the military that recently took over in the coup, it remains to be seen if Australian sanctions will enable Fiji to take part. The EAP Under 15 tournament they were going to host has already been postponed.
France
France played in Division Two of the European Championship in August, finishing 6th after losing a play off to Guernsey. They will remain in the tournament in 2008.
Germany
Germany performed better than their neighbours France in the European Championships, finishing third in Division Two. One place higher could have seen them get a wild card spot in Division Five of the World Cricket League.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar were the losers in the third place play off against Germany, but they can count themselves lucky to have got that far, as they were only in the semi finals due to Greece’s ineligible players cock up.
Hong Kong
This will go down as a good year for Hong Kong. They finished as runners up to the UAE in the ACC Trophy, and recovered in the ACC Premier League after two defeats with weakened sides. They will play in Division Three of the World Cricket League next year, and the Asia Cup in 2008.
Ireland
This will go down as a great year for Irish cricket. They won the European Championship at all age groups from the seniors down to the Under-13s. Playing against England, they were kind enough to give their best player to a struggling England ODI side (sarcasm fully intended), even though (now changed) regulations meant they were without their next two best players. They still pushed the English, and hosted the game with a sell out crowd of 7,000. The game was also one of the few associate ODIs to be broadcast on TV, being shown on BBC2 Northern Ireland.
The Intercontinental Cup saw a win over Namibia and a draw against Scotland, with a match against the UAE still to come. Ireland are still in with a chance of retaining their title, though they’ll be reliant on the UAE beating the Scots when they play them.
Getting players released from counties has been a real problem for Ireland this year, especially with regards to Eoin Morgan and Niall O’Brien in the England ODI. O’Brien was only released by Kent once England dropped Gerraint Jones. Derbyshire even refused to release Boyd Rankin for the Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland because they wanted him for a second XI match!
Ireland’s increasing success at youth level could well have a detriment in future. They’ve already lost Ed Joyce to England and Eoin Morgan has said he aims to play for England. More and more Irish players are becoming involved in county cricket, and it remains to be seen how many more players will be lost to the men across the Irish sea. Time for the ICC to change the regulations?
Israel
2006 was probably the highest profile year for Israeli cricket, but for the wrong reasons. Their participation in the European Championship came at the same time as the Lebanon crisis, and their first round matches were met with protests. The game against Jersey was called off, and their play-off matches were subsequently moved to a military base to be played under armed guard.
The second play-off match against Greece was then forfeited by the Greeks when they refused to travel. More on the Greek fiasco in their section, but their player eligibility scandal meant that they were relegated to Division Four, meaning that Israel will now play in Division Three rather than play a play-off against the winners, as was the original plan for the 7th placed team.
Italy
Italy returned to Division One of the European Championship in 2006, but lost all five games. With Joe Scuderi entering the twilight of his career, they will have to raise their game if they are to avoid relegation to Division Two when an always improving Norway side join them in Division One in 2008.
Japan
A disappointing year for Japanese cricket in 2006. The men’s team did win a game in the EAP Cricket Trophy, but lost out on a place in WCL Division Five on run rate, thus ruling them out of contention for the 2011 World Cup. The women’s team also lost their qualifying series against Papua New Guinea 3-0.
Kenya
Very much a hit and miss year for Kenya in 2006. They started with a 2-2 drawn ODI series against Zimbabwe, but followed this with a 4-0 defeat to Bangladesh. This was closely followed by a rain affected draw against Netherlands in the Intercontinental Cup.
The tour to Canada started badly with defeat in the Intercontinental Cup, ruling them out of contention for the final. They recovered to win both ODIs though. Another series defeat against Bangladesh was followed by the visit of Bermuda. Rain wiped out two days of the Intercontinental Cup match, and Kenya won all three ODIs. Steve Tikolo was at his best in the third, scoring 111.
Kenya’s women would have hope to do well when they hosted the African regional qualifiers for the women’s world cup, but they lost all three of their matches, finishing last in the four nation tournament.
Kuwait
Kuwait started the year with a third place finish in the Middle East cup. They failed to pass the first round in the ACC Trophy after a tied game against Hong Kong saw them go out on net run rate.
Malaysia
Malaysia reached the quarter finals of the ACC Trophy, which they hosted for the second consecutive time, securing a place in the new Champions division of the tournament. They finished seventh in the tournament overall. The ACC Premier League has seen them unbeaten with a win and two draws, with just a match against the UAE remaining.
Namibia
Namibia’s year started by qualifying for the Intercontinental Cup after a winning draw against Nepal. Their visit to Scotland and Ireland in May was a disaster though as they lost both games. Later in the year they were joined by former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu as an overseas player for their campaign in the South African provincial challenge tournaments. His presence was welcome addition as Namibia have so far lost just one of their three-day games and won all their one-day games in the tournament. Their fine form continued into the Intercontinental Cup when they beat the UAE by an innings inside two days.
Next year, Namibia will host Division Two of the World Cricket League. They will count themselves amongst the favourites to secure a top four place in that tournament and qualify for the ICC World Cup Qualifier in 2009.
Nepal
Nepal also had a hit and miss year in international cricket. Whilst they have been the stand out team in the ACC Premier League, currently topping the table with only the UAE being able to catch them, other events have not gone their way.
As already mentioned, they were eliminated from the Intercontinental Cup by Namibia in a play-off. Prior to the ACC Trophy they played a three-match series against the Pakistan Academy, and lost all three games by large margins. In the ACC Trophy itself, they could only finish fourth, and were reliant on a wild-card spot for the World Cricket League Division Five tournament.
They are better than that, and 2007/08 will hopefully see them play much more consistently as they aim to reach the 2009 ICC World Cup qualifier.
Netherlands
Like the other ODI status associates, this has been a hit and miss year for the Netherlands. The highs have been the emergence of Ryan ten Doeschate as a world-class all-rounder. He set the record for the highest Intercontinental Cup score when he scored 259 against Canada, and currently averages 192.50 in that tournament. He also averages 22.47 with the ball. He’ll be an important part of their World Cup campaign next year.
The low point was of course conceding a world record ODI score against Sri Lanka. Third place in the European Championship will also go down as a major disappointment.
Alexi Kervezee has also emerged this year, and has been snapped up by Worcestershire. Time will tell if this affects his availability for the Dutch, who benefited from innings from the 17 year old that showed maturity far beyond his years.
The Dutch are out of the Intercontinental Cup, but will hope to do better in the 2007/08 tournament. The Dutch will warm up for the World Cup with the WCL Division One tournament, which they will hope to win after their performance in the South African tri-series a few weeks ago. ODIs against Scotland, Ireland, West Indies, Canada and Bermuda are in the pipeline for after the World Cup, as well as the inaugural European Twenty20 Championship.
Nigeria
Fifth place in Division Two of the African WCL tournament is the extent of Nigeria’s performance in 2006. It was always going to be a tough tournament, but Nigeria would have been expected to pick up at least one win.
Papua New Guinea
No cricket for Papua New Guinea in 2006. Indeed the only mention of the country in cricket news this year has been the constant questions over the presence of Gerraint Jones in the England team. WCL Division Three awaits them in 2007, and they will hope to continue onto Division Two later in the year.
Scotland
As with the other ODI status associates, this has been an up and down year for Scotland. They started the year with a tour of the West Indies, which was largely unsuccessful, but did see them pick up a win against Barbados. They picked up 3 wins in the C&G Trophy in the early part of the English county season, also beating Namibia in the Intercontinental Cup.
The main event of the year was hosting Pakistan for a one-day international. Ryan Watson (80) and Neil McCallum (68) performed admirably, but the Scotland side weakened by the non-release by Warwickshire of Dougie Brown and Navdeep Poonia could not pull off an upset win.
Scotland finished as runners-up in the European Championship Division One tournament which they hosted, surviving a close scare against Denmark. This was followed by an Intercontinental Cup game against Ireland which was drawn after two days of rain. The year came to an end for Scotland with two thumping defeats against Bangladesh in December.
January will see an Intercontinental Cup game against the UAE which will see Scotland progress to the final if they win. The World Cup build up then goes into full force with an ODI Tri-Series against Kenya and Canada in Mombassa, followed by the WCL Division One tournament in Nairobi.
Singapore
Singapore finished 5th in the ACC Trophy this year, which was good enough to get them a wild card spot in Division Five of the World Cricket League. The year ended with a rain-affect draw against Malaysia in the annual Saudara Cup game.
Tanzania
The highlight of Tanzania’s year was the hosting and winning of the African WCL Division Two tournament. This gave them a spot in Division Three of the WCL next year. It would also have given them a spot in the African Division One tournament where they would have tested themselves against Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, South Africa A and Zimbabwe A, but this tournament has been postponed.
Thailand
Thailand won the South East Asia Emerging Nations tournament in February but failed to progress beyond the first round of the ACC Trophy in August. They are currently hosting the ACC Under-15 Challenge tournament.
Uganda
Uganda’s only action of this year was a home series against Kenya in which a weakened side was handsomely beaten. They would have been participating in the African WCL Division One tournament but, as already mentioned, that was postponed. In June next year they will travel to Darwin, Australia to compete in the global WCL Division Three tournament.
UAE
The UAE continued their status as the kings of Asian non-test cricket with a win in the ACC Trophy. Nepal and Hong Kong are snapping at their tails though, and the two day innings defeat against Namibia has shown that the UAE are far from returning to the World Cup in 2011.
USA
The USA finished as runners-up in the Americas Championship this year, although lost against long-time rivals Canada by 10 wickets. 2007 was going to see them host Division Thee of the World Cricket League, but the tournament has been moved to Darwin, Australia.
Zambia
Zambia finished fourth out of five teams in the African WCL Division Two tournament, which will go down as a disappointing result. They also lost against the MCC in October.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan secured their status as the top Asian affiliate with a third placed finish in the ACC Trophy in August, giving them a spot in Division Five of the World Cricket League in 2008. The disappointment of losing to Bahrain in the final of the Middle East cup was overcome shortly afterwards with a huge win over the MCC in India. They are also set to be one of two new teams in the ACC Premier League in 2007.
Austria
Austria returned to international cricket in July after a three year absence. They beat the Czech Republic in two matches in Vienna. They are scheduled to take part in Division Five of the European Championship in 2008.
Bahamas
The Bahamas finished as runners-up to Argentina in Division Two of the Americas Championship this year, but were overlooked for one of the wild card slots to Division Five of the WCL. They also competed in the first Stanford 20/20, but fell at the first hurdle to the Cayman Islands.
Bahrain
As already mentioned, Bahrain won the Middle East Cup early in the year. They also finished sixth in the ACC Trophy. This result was not enough to secure them a WCL spot, but has secured them a spot in the new Champions division in 2008.
Belize
Belize won the first Central American Championship in early 2006, but their enjoyment was short lived when they finished last in Division Two of the Americas Championship. This means that they will play in Division Three in 2008.
Bhutan
Bhutan performed poorly in the ACC Trophy, suffering heavy defeats at the hands of Kuwait, Hong Kong and Nepal. Their only win came against fellow whipping boys Myanmar.
Brazil
Brazil made their debut in official international cricket in 2006, though things did not go to plan as they finished last in Division Three of the Americas Championship.
Brunei
Brunei were one of the whipping boys of the ACC Trophy in 2006, conceding 459 runs to the UAE and 499 to Saudi Arabia. Their match against Malaysia was mercilessly called off due to rain.
Chile
Like their South American counterparts Brazil, this was Chile’s first year in official international cricket. Their only win came against Brazil as they finished third in Division Three of the Americas Championship. Next year the MCC are touring Chile.
China
Nothing from the senior Chinese men’s team in 2006, but the Women’s team made its debut in a Sixes match against Scotland, which was lost. The Under 15 team are currently playing in the ACC Under 15 Challenge tournament, where they got off to a winning start against Myanmar.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands finished as runners-up to Fiji in the EAP Cricket Trophy this year, just missing out on qualification for the World Cricket League Division Three tournament. They originally were down for a spot in Division Five in 2008, but it now looks like this will go to the winners of an EAP tournament in 2007.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica played their first internationals in 2006, losing against both Belize and Mexico in the Central American Championship.
Croatia
No cricket for Croatia in 2006. 2007 will see them play in Division Three of the European Championship.
Cuba
Cuba are still waiting for their entry into international cricket, with their next opportunity coming in 2008. There was some cricketing activity though, and London mayor Ken Livingstone attended a match on a visit to Havana, though like many Cuban and Livingstone events, it turned into an anti-USA rally.
Cyprus
Cyprus made their debut in international cricket this year, finishing as runners-up in Division Four of the European Championship. The restructure of the European Championship means that they won’t return to that tournament until 2009. Domestically, the highlight of the year was a visit to the island by Sanath Jayasuria.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic played their first internationals in July this year, losing twice to Austria in Vienna. They were scheduled to take part in the afore-mentioned European Division Four tournament but withdrew, though they are still pencilled in to return in 2009.
Finland
Finland have had a good 2006, highlighted by winning the European Division Four tournament. They will play in Division Three in 2007. National team member Stephen Viola even had the “honour” of being interviewed by this very site. See here for that interview.
Gambia
Gambia played in Division Three of the African WCL in 2006, finishing seventh out of the eight teams, a drop from a sixth place finish in the equivalent tournament in 2004.
Ghana
In 2006, Ghana’s sole tournament was Division Three of the African regional World Cricket League tournament. They finished third after thrashing Malawi by 224 runs.
Greece
Perhaps the least said about Greece in 2006 the better. Things looked to be going great with them winning all three group games in the European Championship Division Two tournament, but it seems that they had the help of a couple of ineligible players for those matches and the points were stripped from them. They then didn’t help matters by forfeiting the seventh place play-off against Israel.
Their punishment was to be banished to Division Four of the European Championship. They’ve gone from the cusp of Division One (and WCL Division Five) to a point where they can not reach Division One until 2014 by my reckoning. They’ve also been stripped of their ICC funding for a while and one hopes they’ve learnt their lesson. A sorry state of affairs indeed.
Guernsey
This section is being written for us by David Piesing of the Guernsey Cricket Board. Many thanks to David for his help!
Guernsey finished a disappointing 5th (out of 8) in their inaugural ECC tournament, the European Second Division Championships, despite being one of the pre-tournament favourites. Three comprehensive wins against Associate Members from the four matches which counted (beating Gibraltar by 7 wickets, Israel by 5 wickets and France by 61 runs) were not enough after a solitary defeat by Germany (by 57 runs) saw Guernsey narrowly miss out on the semi-finals on net run rate.
That defeat against Germany cost Guernsey dearly. In a tournament dominated by Affiliate Members (won by Norway with Jersey as runners-up), even third place would not have been enough to get Guernsey closer to ICC Associate Membership status. New playing standards criteria introduced after the tournament require any prospective Associate Member to be one of the two top-ranked Affiliates in its region.
Guernsey hosted World Cup qualifiers Bermuda in early June and, despite losing both games, they threw away a golden opportunity to claim a major scalp in the second game, needing just 8 an over off the last 7 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Guernsey went on to beat Jersey for the fifth year in succession in the annual inter-insular after the ECC tournament, which was scant consolation for missing out in Glasgow.
Since the season ended, Guernsey have entered into a development partnership agreement with Sussex CCC and have announced the building of a £1m purpose-built indoor cricket centre in 2007. There is no senior tournament in 2007 but in preparation for 2008 Guernsey will be playing in a triangular series with Jersey and France and are currently seeking suitable fixtures against other strong European sides.
Indonesia
No cricket for Indonesia in 2006. They were hoping to move to the Asian region instead of the EAP region and play in the ACC Trophy, but that move was rejected by the ICC.
Iran
A poor year for Iran. They only avoided losing all their matches in the Middle East cup thanks to an abandoned game and lost all three matches in the ACC Trophy.
Isle of Man
No tournament for the Isle of Man in 2006, though they did have a successful tour of Spain which I reported on here. They won both games against the Spanish national team. They will play in Division Three of the European Championship in 2007 which they will hope to win and join their fellow Crown Dependancies Guernsey and Jersey in Division Two in 2008.
Jersey
Jersey’s first campaign in the European Championship Second Division got off to an unfortunate start when protests meant that their opening game against Israel was cancelled. They then lost against France. But a win against Norway in the final group game meant that they made it into the semi-finals of the tournament, where they beat Germany, before losing to Norway in the final.
That loss to Norway in the final was disappointing, but they still were given a wild card spot in Division Five of the World Cricket League in 2008, meaning that they could qualify for the 2011 World Cup. They have also applied for associate membership of the ICC. Their other international action of 2006 was the inter-insular match against Guernsey which they lost.
In 2007, they have a series pencilled in against Italy in April, and will play a triangular series against Guernsey and France. The inter-insular will also return later in the year, this time to be accompanied by a Twenty20 match for the first time.
South Korea
South Korea have been absent from the international scene for almost five years now and have not returned in 2006. There is an East Asia/Pacific WCL qualifying event in 2007, but the teams have not been confirmed yet.
Lesotho
Lesotho played in Division Three of the African regional WCL and went without a win, finishing eighth in the eight team tournament.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg finished third in Division Four of the European Championship this year. They will play in the tournament again in 2009.
Malawi
Malawi played in Division Three of the African regional WCL and came fourth after a thumping 224 run loss to Ghana in the third place play off.
Maldives
Maldives ACC Trophy campaign went without a win, though earlier in the year they met with success in the South East Asia Emerging Nations tournament, beating Bhutan and Thailand.
Mali
Mali are yet to make their first appearance in international cricket.
Malta
Malta were absent from international cricket this year. They’ll play in Division Three of the European Championship next year though.
Mexico
Mexico made their international debut in 2006, playing in the first Central American Championship. They won their first game, thrashing Costa Rica by 163 runs, but lost their second against Belize, finishing as runners-up in the tournament.
Morocco
Morocco were one of the several teams to make their international debut in 2006, finishing 5th in the African World Cricket League Division Three tournament.
Mozambique
Mozambique had a good year in 2006. They won the African WCL Division Two tournament, and then finished third in the Division Two tournament, beating associates Nigeria and Zambia along the way.
Myanmar
Unlike some of this years international debutants, Myanmar had a year to forget. They were thrashed by every team they played in the ACC Trophy, including a match against Nepal that was over in just 14 overs when Nepal chased their target of 10. They also lost to Hong Kong by more than 400 runs.
Norway
Norway cemented their status as Europe’s top affiliate with a win in Division Two of the European Championship. They thus gain promotion to Division One in 2008 when they come up against Europe’s heavyweights, and will also play in Division Five of the World Cricket League the same year.
Oman
After a triumphant second place in the 2004 ACC Trophy and a performance in the 2005 ICC Trophy that saw them secure a spot in WCL Division Three, Oman can only be disappointed with their 2006. Their only win in the tournament came against the Maldives and they failed to progress beyond the first round.
They thus will play in the Challenger division in 2008. Another disappointment was the postponement of the Asia Cup. Oman were scheduled to play in the competition in February, playing their first ODIs against India and Pakistan, but the tournament was postponed so much that the ACC decided to use the 2006 ACC Trophy as the qualifier and Hong Kong will take Oman’s place.
Panama
Panama played in Division Two of the Americas Championship in 2006, coming third in the tournament after beating Suriname and Belize.
Philippines
The Philippines are yet to make their debut in international cricket. Their next opportunity will come at the East Asia/Pacific qualifier for WCL Division Five next year.
Portugal
No cricket for Portugal in 2006, they will return to action in Belgium next year when they play in Division Three of the European Championship.
Rwanda
Rwanda came sixth in Division Three of the African regional WCL, losing to Morocco in the 5th place play off.
Qatar
Qatar finished eighth in this years ACC Trophy. Not as good a performance as fourth in 2004, but enough to secure them a spot in the elite division for 2008.
Samoa
No cricket for Samoa in what has been a quiet year for the East Asia/Pacific countries. They will probably be taking part in an EAP competition in 2007 to determine the final slot in Division Five of the World Cricket League.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia finished fourth out of five teams in the Middle East Cup in February this year, beating Iran and Kuwait along the way. Their only win in the ACC Trophy came against Brunei and they failed to go past the first round.
Sierra Leone
A good year for Sierra Leone as they reached the final of Division Three of the African regional WCL, before losing to Mozambique.
Slovenia
Slovenia finished fourth in Division Four of the European Championship, and will play in the tournament again in 2009. An article on the Slovenian team, written by myself, was also featured in the “Did you know?” section on the front page of the popular on-line encyclopaedia Wikipedia.
Spain
No cricket for Spain in 2006, but they will return to international action in 2007 when they play in Division Three of the European Championship in Belgium.
St Helena
No entry into international cricket for this tiny Atlantic island in 2006, their next opportunity will come in 2008.
Suriname
Suriname’s year started with them hosting Division Three of the Americas Championship, which they won without losing a game. They then finished fourth in Division Two in Argentina, securing their Division Two spot for 2008.
Sweden
Sweden have not played competitively since 2001, and are schedule to return to the European Championship in 2008 when they will play in the first Division Five tournament.
Switzerland
The days of Switzerland getting to the semi finals of the ECC Trophy in 1999 are gone for now, and they didn’t play an international in 2006. They will return in 2008 in Division Five of the European Championship.
Tonga
No cricket for Tonga in 2006 in what has been a quiet year for the East Asia/Pacific region. They will be one of the favourites for the EAP qualifier for the World Cricket League Division Five played sometime next year.
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands played in Division Three of the Americas Championship in 2006, finishing as runners up to Suriname
Vanuatu
No cricket for Vanuatu in 2006, and they will return to international action in 2007 when they play in the EAP qualifier for WCL Division Five.