Herschelle Gibbs named head coach of Kuwait national cricket team

Former South Africa opener, Herschelle Gibbs has been announced as the Head Coach for Kuwait’s men’s National squad ahead of the ICC World T20 sub-regional qualifiers, to be hosted by the country itself.  Kuwait will be the venue for the first of two six-team Asian sub-regionals in April, while the Philippines and Fiji have been chosen to host the two four-team East Asia Pacific region sub-qualifiers.

At an Annual General Meeting function by Kuwait Cricket held at Divaan Hall, Kuwait City, Gibbs was introduced as the new Head Coach in front of Board of Kuwait Cricket, Members, invited dignitaries & players attending the function. Gibbs will spend two months in the country helping to prepare the Kuwait national squad for their upcoming endeavour.

The 44-year-old recently had a coaching stint with a franchise in Afghanistan’s Shpageeza League and his knowledge and experience in the shorter format will be clinical for Kuwait team, as they prepare to secure qualification for Asian Regional Qualifiers from the sub-qualifiers.

Tournament structure

In the other half of the world, Buenos Aires will host the first leg of the Americas WT20 Sub-Regional Qualifier. There will also be a second America’s sub-regional competition, slated to be held in Los Angeles later in the year.

From these sub-regional qualifiers, a total of 25 teams will progress to the regional finals, one for each of the ICC’s five regions. Next, a total of seven teams will progress to the Global Qualifier, where they will be joined by the six teams that qualified for the 2016 edition of the WT20 but fell outside the top ten of the T20I rankings at the end of 2017. There will also be an additional berth reserved for the as-yet-unannounced hosts.

Of the 14 team World Cup, six qualifying spots are to be won, with the top teams advancing to the “First Round” of the WT20 itself. With a total of 65 Associates and 2 Full Members taking part, the announcement heralds one of the most inclusive qualification structures yet seen for a major ICC event.