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By Peter Della Penna

The ICC has published the schedule on its web site for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. The tournament format poses two groups of eight teams each, with each team playing a grueling schedule of seven group games in eight days.

USA has been placed in Group B, which contains three teams from World Cricket League Division 1 (Ireland, Kenya, Scotland), one from Division 2 (Namibia) and three from Division 3 (Uganda, Oman, Italy) with USA the lone group member currently in Division 4. Group A features three from Division 1 (Afghanistan, Canada, the Netherlands), two from Division 2 (Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea), one from Division 3 (Bermuda) and two from Division 4 (Denmark, Nepal). Every ICC qualifying region with multiple teams in the tournament has had their teams divided across the two groups except for Africa, which has all three of their representatives in Group B.

USA plays a total of four group matches in Dubai split between the Dubai Sports City Stadium and the ICC Global Cricket Academy ovals, two in Abu Dhabi at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium and one in Sharjah at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Their first match is against Uganda on Tuesday, March 13 in Sharjah at 10 a.m. USA then takes on Italy in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, March 14 at 10 a.m. The schedule for Thursday, March 15 sees USA take on Namibia in Dubai at the ICC GCA at 10 a.m. USA’s demanding stretch of four matches in four days concludes with what will most likely be their toughest contest, a showdown against Ireland on Friday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at the ICC GCA.

All teams have a scheduled rest day on Saturday, March 17 before continuing play with three matches in three days to finish off the group stage. USA will take on Oman at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18 inside the Dubai Sports City Stadium. Monday, March 19 the team will go back to Abu Dhabi to take on Kenya at 10 a.m. USA rounds off the group stage with a 2 p.m. encounter against Scotland on Tuesday, March 20.

USA must finish in the top three of their group to have any shot of claiming one of the two qualifying spots. The playoff round will take place entirely in Dubai from Thursday, March 22 through Saturday, March 24. If USA finishes atop Group A, they will only need to defeat the winner of Group B in the first qualifying final to clinch a spot at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Whoever loses the first qualifying final between the two group winners is not yet knocked out of the tournament and will be placed in a second qualifying final for another shot at clinching a spot in the 2012 World Twenty20. If USA finishes second or third in Group B, they will play in a crossover match with the second or third place finisher in Group A. The two winners of the crossover matches will then contest a preliminary final. The winner of the preliminary final will move on to the second qualifying final against the loser of the first qualifying final. The winner of the second qualifying final will clinch the remaining berth at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 and move into the tournament final against the winner of the first qualifying final.

So to state that again, if USA finishes atop Group B, they will only need to defeat the winner of Group A to clinch one of the two berths for Sri Lanka. If they should lose to the winner of Group A, they will have one more shot to win a match to qualify. If USA finishes second or third in Group B, they will need to win three straight playoff matches to clinch a berth for Sri Lanka. If they do not finish second or third in their group, they will fail to qualify for the 2012 World Twenty20 and will be placed into a series of loser's bracket playoff matches to determine rankings.

Group A                           Group B
Afghanistan                       Ireland
Bermuda                           Italy
Canada                             Kenya
Denmark                           Namibia
Hong Kong                        Oman
Nepal                                 Scotland
The Netherlands                Uganda
Papua New Guinea           USA

USA’s 2012 World Twenty20 Qualifier Group B Match Schedule (all times local)
Tues., March 13 at 10 a.m. – vs. Uganda in Sharjah
Weds., March 14 at 10 a.m. – vs. Italy in Abu Dhabi
Thurs., March 15 at 10 a.m. – vs. Namibia in Dubai
Fri., March 16 at 2 p.m. – vs. Ireland in Dubai
Sun., March 18 at 10 a.m. – vs. Oman in Dubai
Mon., March 19 at 10 a.m. – vs. Kenya in Abu Dhabi
Tues., March 20 at 2 p.m. – vs. Scotland in Dubai