JOSH Lawrenson secured his third Player of the Match award as Jersey cruised passed Qatar by 8 wickets at Grainville on Sunday in their final game of this round of the ICC Challenge League A.
Lawrenson picked up his second 4 wicket haul of the round as the Jersey bowlers strangled Qatar to a measly 132 all out, before knocking the runs off in just 18.2 overs, with Harrison Carlyon and Asa Tribe scoring half centuries.
Qatar’s Innings
George Richardson has had a stand out tournament opening the bowling alongside experienced fast bowler Julius Sumerauer, the pair building a strong partnership with the new ball.
Richardson got the hosts off to the perfect start, cleaning up Qatar opener and captain Imal Liyanage for a duck to start to procession.
Richardson was in excellent form, finishing with 2 for 13 from his 6 overs, with Sumerauer picking up one himself before the spinners took control.
Fellow opener Mujeeb Ur Rehman offered the lone hand for Qatar, scoring 40 from 99 deliveries, but there was little else from the visitors.
Once Lawrenson and Nick Greenwood took the ball, the accuracy and grip from the surface proved too much, the pair claiming 6 wickets between them as they continued their excellent combination which has shone throughout the tournament with both bat and ball.
Lawrenson finished with 4 for 25 from his ten, with Greenwood also taking 2 for 29 from his ten overs as Qatar fizzled out to score just 132 from 47.2 overs.
Jersey’s Reply
In front of a packed crowd at Grainville, Jersey’s batters set out putting on a more exciting display that their opponents had managed, as Harrison Carlyon and Greenwood flew out of the blocks.
Greenwood cracked a few early boundaries before he was first man to go for 15, the score on 37 after just 4 overs. Carlyon was joined by star man Asa Tribe and he pair took the game swiftly to it’s conclusion.
Qatar tried all bowling options, but the two Jerseymen shone, producing some excellent shots to entertain the crowd, both men passing their half centuries in the process at quicker than a run a ball.
Carlyon was eventually run out for a run a ball 55 to cap off a strong tournament, while Tribe scored an unbeaten 53 from just 40 balls to see the team home alongside Jonty Jenner, who finished the game with a flurry of boundaries.
After two rounds of competition in Challenge League A, Jersey sit top on 17 points, with 8 wins, 1 tie and 1 loss from their ten games so far.
Kuwait are the closest challengers to top spot, sat in second on 14 points.
One final round of competition in 2026 will be hosted by Qatar, where a top two finish for Jersey will see them earn their chance to progress through the qualification process for a spot at the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, set to be hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
What is the next step for Jersey?
If Jersey finish in the top 2 places after the Qatar tournament next year, they will qualify alongside the top two from Challenge League B to take on the bottom four finishers from the league above, Challenge League 2.
Challenge League 2 is made up of teams ranked 13-20 in the world between the 2019-2023 World Cup cycle.
The bottom four finishing sides in Challenge League 2 will face the top four finishers from Challenge League A and B, to reach the Qualifier Play-Off.
From that eight-team Qualifier Play-Off, the top 4 sides will progress to the final Qualifier, where teams ranked 9-10 in ODI rankings will face teams 1-4 from League 2 and teams 1-4 from the Qualifier Play-off.
The top four finishing sides from the final Qualifier will earn their place at the 2027 ODI World Cup.
