A few thoughts on the upcoming bouts...
Combined Islands vs Jamaica - Queen's Park, St. George's. On a pitch which promises to wear quickly the Windwards/Leewards are going to have their work cut out for them against that potent (and fired up) Jamaican attack. Combined Islands need to stay strong.
UAE vs Kenya - Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium - Abu Dhabi. A real Sharjah dustbowl might play into Kenya's favour with the newly-realised Varaiya/Karim/Obuya spin triad. Though UAE in Khurram Khan & Ahmed Raza have the power to match them.
Guyana vs Trinidad & Tobago - Providence Stadium, Providence. This Carribean battle promises to go down to the wire. Guyana have been solid, if not spectacular, whilst T&T have been hot & cold. Again, spin will play a big role in this game imo.
Hong Kong vs Namibia - Mission Road Ground, Hong Kong. Possibly the pick for match of the week. Ehsan Khan has been terrific all tournament & HK will need him to stand up again. Namibia, with two straight wins under their belt, will be full of confidence heading into this one though.
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Scotland vs Barbados - Mannofield Park, Aberdeen. Hard to pick a winner here as I regard both sides to be very solid on paper. Let's just hope I get the selection process right for Barbados this time :-)
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan - Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. Two heavyweights are at it in this one, and the Zimbabwean groundsmen have dished up a pitch which doesn't play into the Afghanistan spinner's hands at all. Will be interesting to see what the mercurial Afghanis can produce.
Wales vs Netherlands - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Could be a good toss to lose here, what with batting conditions looking particularly treacherous on day one. Pitch should flatten out as the match goes on, so a solid opening is key here imo.
Bangladesh vs Ireland - Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong. Another battle of the giants. Ireland have their work cut out for them here as the Bangaldeshi groundsmen have garnered a really spin-friendly pitch. With the odds stacked against them, Ireland will be looking to their batsmen for some big scores to put BD under pressure.