Can UAE and Nepal qualify for 2023 Cricket World Cup in India?

After a six-month hiatus, the UAE will return their focus to attempting to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup this week.

They will play 10 one-day internationals over the next month, starting against Namibia in Dubai on Thursday.

Cricket World Cup League 2 is part of a long and meandering qualifying process for the main event, which is due to take place in India in October and November.

There are seven teams involved. The top three sides advance directly to the World Cup Qualifier, where the final two places at the 10-team World Cup will be decided.

That final event will be played in Zimbabwe in June and July, and will also involve 10 teams.

The remaining four sides in League 2 still have a second shot at making it to the Qualifier.

They will enter a repechage playoff in Namibia at the end of March, along with Canada and Jersey from the third-tier Challenge League.

The top two sides in the playoff in Namibia will progress to the Qualifier.

Unsurprisingly, given its huge timespan – the competition started in August 2019 – League 2 has had plenty of fluctuations.

Scotland have been confirmed as the champions, despite losing to Nepal in their last match on Tuesday.

Oman – who completed their 36 matches eight months ago – are second, with both the top two sure of a place in the final Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

It means Namibia, UAE and Nepal are still vying for third place, with United States and PNG confirmed as being in the qualifier playoff.

The national team last played in League 2 in August, when they lost three matches and had one abandoned in a tri-series in Scotland.

That was a portentous tour for UAE. In response to it, Ahmed Raza – who had a 66 per cent win record as captain – was replaced by CP Rizwan.

Rizwan had