2015 World Cup Qualifier: Preview Group B

Like the Group A, Group B is a equally hard fought group. Uganda had been written off till now but their performance against Canada in the warmup game has now forced them to rethink their position .The group contains ODI status nations like Netherlands and Kenya and upcoming countries like PNG, Uganda & Namibia. Netherlands, Kenya will be playing to save their ODI status and PNG, Namibia and Uganda will be eager to replace them.

Group B is equally competitive as Group A and picking the top 3 teams in difficult

Before going with the review of each team let us check some facts on the group B

GROUP B
Teams:- Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, PNG & Uganda

ICC Seeding
1. Netherlands
2. Kenya
3. Namibia
4. PNG
5.Uganda

PREVIEWS
1. Netherlands 
They are the favorites to win the tournament along with Scotland however they would be disappointed with their 2 out of 2 loses in the Warmup games against Canada and UAE. They have a good mixture in the team of experience and youth and would be very comfortable with the European like conditions present in NZ. Their experience of playing across the globe along with county experience will be really handy. They have a good pace line up as well as batting line up.

The young and dynamic Ahsan Malik will be player to watch

However Netherlands should avoid being overconfident and taking other teams lightly. These are not old times where they had to fight few teams while other were walkovers. Here each and every team will be a challenge to overcome

Key Player:- Ahsan Malik

Expected Verdict:- Should easily make it to Super Six and strong contender for the trophy

2. Kenya
Kenya are a team which can realistically fall from grace. From the high period of 2003 of reaching the Semi Finals of World Cup to now where they are under serious threat to lose ODI status. To save them from such situation they have called back their old guard like Odoyo and are really hoping they will carry them through. The strength of the team is the loads of experience it had and which come handy like the case in the warm up against Nepal. 

The young Irfan Karim is a real class in the team who has been underutilized

 However the team does not have best of the equations in the dressing room and not the best 15 are alleged to be picked for the tournament. The oldies in the team also bring down the standards of fielding and the youngsters may be too inexperienced

Key Player:- Irfan Karim

Expected Verdict:- Should make it to Super Sixes but do not expect them to retain the ODI status

3. Namibia
Like their African partners they would be hoping to get back to their high days of 2003 when they reached the World Cup. The team has been suffering from many events off field- The controversy of Black Players, Some key players missing tournaments, sponsors pulling off. These events can have a major impact. As they play in South African Domestic setup hence they will not be short of experience. 

Christi Viljoen would be a key batsman who can contribute with ball also

They have a good batting lineup however the balling needs to buck up if they have to make a major impact.

Key Player:- Christi Viljoen

Expected Verdict:- Do not think they have the muscle power to make it to Super Sixes

4. PNG
PNG were impressive in the start of World T20 Qualifiers and many were expecting them to qualify. They defeated Ireland, Netherlands, Kenya in the tournament. However towards the end of the tournament they lost the momentum and missed out on qualification. NZ is like their second home as both NZ and PNG belong to EAP region and PNG will leave no stone unturned to qualify from their second home.

On his day Tony Ura can destroy any bowling lineup single handily

PNG have a explosive batting lineup with some good bowlers in the team. The experience of Geraint Jones will also come very handy to the team. The team however would have to keep their mental strength and not lose it like they did in World T20 Qualifier

Key Player:- Tony Ura

Expected Verdict:- Should make it to Super Sixes. Whether they will play the World Cup or not depends upon their group game against Netherlands

5. Uganda
Many critics have given this team no chance to make it to next round especially after their performance in World T20 Qualifier but little do they realize that Uganda are a much better ODI team than in T20. They in no way can be taken lightly. They have a strong bowling lineup who on their day can blow away any batting lineup. 

Captain Davis Karashani will be key for the team

The batting is a concern for the team but the form showed by the team in warm up game against Canada has shown that lot of hard work has been put in the area. Uganda is one of the favorite team of many Associate Cricket lovers and they would love to see this team good

Key Player:- Davis Karashani

Expected Verdict:- Very unlikely to make it into Super Six

The tournament starts in a day and it surely will be a very good and exciting one. Let's wait for it to see some shocks, some new exciting teams and a load full of action