The International Cricket Council today confirmed the remaining fixtures in its first-class tournament, the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10, with everything leading towards next November’s final, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.
The next match to be played will start on 23 January between defending champion Ireland facing newcomer Afghanistan in a match to be played in Sri Lanka, where the teams will also play a series of Twenty20 games against both each other and opponents who still have to be confirmed.
Those games will serve as a warm up for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers scheduled for The UAE in early February.
Two days’ later, on 25th January, second-placed Kenya will take on 2004 champion and current leader Scotland in a top-of-the-table clash.
Ireland's next game in the tournament sees them host The Netherlands from August 11-14, before they make the long trek to face Canada, whom they beat in the final in 2007. That fixture is from September 1-4.
Their group stage finishes with a journey to play a Zimbabwe XI from October 6-9, with the exact venue still to be confirmed, but South Africa looks favourite.
The five day final of the competition is scheduled for November 25-29 in The UAE.
Ireland coach Phil Simmons said,
"It's good that our schedule is taking shape. If you include our Under 19's who are in New Zealand in January, Irish teams will be playing in five different continents in 2010! There's a lot of cricket to be played in all formats of the game, but this is one trophy I know both myself and the players want to win again. It's the benchmark for the longer form of the game, and it sends out a message to the cricketing world."
"The weather robbed us of two wins against Kenya and Scotland, but it's been nearly six years since we've lost a game in this competition and we want to keep that run going. We've lost the services of Kyle (McCallan) who has retired, and Regan (West) who will be out for at least six months because of his shoulder problems. That'll give others a chance to step up to the mark and establish a place in the squad."
ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP FIXTURES
23-26 Jan – Afghanistan v Ireland, Sri Lanka
25-28 Jan – Kenya v Scotland, Kenya
17-20 Feb – Afghanistan v Canada, UAE
10-13 Jun – Netherlands v Scotland, Netherlands
11-14 Aug – Scotland v Afghanistan, Scotland
11-14 Aug – Ireland v Netherlands, Ireland
21-24 Aug – Canada v Zimbabwe XI, Canada
1-4 Sep – Canada v Ireland, Canada
1-4 Sep – Netherlands v Zimbabwe XI, Netherlands
2-5 Oct – Kenya v Afghanistan, Kenya
6-9 Oct – Zimbabwe XI v Ireland, Africa
13-16 Oct – Zimbabwe XI v Scotland, Africa
25-29 Nov – FINAL (five days), UAE
The exact venues for these fixtures have not yet been finalised.
