After two-and-a-half fiercely contested weeks in the UAE, the Netherlands have defended their title as T20 World Cup Qualifier champions, while Ireland, Scotland, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Namibia will join them in Australia next year. Ben Gardner picks out a combined XI from the players on show.

1. Paul Stirling (Ireland)

After forgoing a county contract to prolong his international career, Paul Stirling looked a man desperate to ensure his decision didn’t reduce his opportunities to show his skills on the big stage, driving Ireland towards a place at next year’s global event. He was a model of consistency, never falling in single figures, and across the competition no one else bettered his three half-centuries or matched his 291 runs.

Stirling’s key knock was also his first, as a 36-ball 62 made chasing 154 against Hong Kong into a walkover. It belied how hard batting second would be. Ireland’s pursuit was only bettered on two occasions by the tournament’s end.

2. Jatinder Singh (Oman)

While he churned out the runs throughout, finishing third on the run-scorers charts, Jatinder Singh saved his best for when it mattered most, and when his team were most desperately in need. In the do-or-die qualifying play-off against Hong Kong, Jatinder could only look on in horror from the other end as Oman’s top order collapsed; no one else in the top seven made more than 4. From the depths of 42-6 however, his 50-ball 67 ensured Oman reached a total they could defend.

3. Assad Vala (Papua New Guinea)

A stellar tournament for Assad Vala with bat and ball. At the top of the order the PNG stalwart displayed all the solidity you’d expect of a man with a first-class average of 63.63, and his dependable opening partnership with Tony Ura was a feature of PNG’s strong start to the tournament. With ball in hand meanwhile, he was a revelation, twirling through 21 overs for 10 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 4.71.

4. Nitish Kumar (Canada)

The one player to make this team without his team qualifying for next year’s showpiece, Canada’s fortunes rose and fell with Nitish Kumar’s. Three half-centuries, three Player of the Match awards, and three victories in their first three games and he and they seemed well on their way to something special. Fifty-two runs across their last three meant three defeats and missing the cut for the play-offs on net run rate. For the right-hander however, at least there was the solace of a reputation embellished.

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Who did it better – Rameez Shahzad or @benstokes38? pic.twitter.com/xyIRmoxmRS

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 30, 2019

5. Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia) – captain

After two defeats in their opening two games – against eventual finalists PNG and Netherlands – Namibian heads could easily have dipped. Instead, driven forward by talismanic skipper Gerhard Erasmus, the African side won their next five to surge to qualification. An unbeaten 52 against Kenya and a ferocious 72 against Singapore in Namibia’s final two group games were the high points of Erasmus’ campaign as he finished second on the run charts.

6. Matthew Cross (Scotland) – wicketkeeper

Only his opening berth prevented Kenya’s Irfan Karim – two half-centuries, average of 43 – from earning selection, but Matthew Cross more than deserves his place. His 23-ball 40* against eventual finalists PNG was the decisive hand in a game Scotland would win by just four runs, while in the fifth-place play-off an ice-cool 61* helped Scotland pull off comfortably the highest chase of the tournament.

7. JJ Smit (Namibia)

Only Bilal Khan claimed more than JJ Smit’s 16 wickets, and no one else scored more than 100 runs with as high a strike-rate as Smit’s mark of 168.14. His stock in trade was the lower-order scene-stealing cameo, and he saved his best for the qualifying play-off. Namibia were listing at 69-5 against Oman when Smit walked in, but his 25-ball 59 would change the momentum of a contest his team would eventually win with ease.

8. Norman Vanua (Papua New Guinea)

Only Nitish Kumar could match Norman Vanua’s tally of three Player of the Match awards, which tells you most of what you need to know about the PNG all-rounder’s ability to define a contest. His hat-trick against Bermuda ensured his team’s campaign got off to the perfect start, while a superb display of death bowling against Namibia earned them passage to the final, but his finest hour came in PNG’s last group game, against Kenya, to secure them automatic qualification to the T20 World Cup. His 54 from No.8 dragged his team from 19-6 to 118 all out, before his 2-19 helped defend the meagre total.

9. Bilal Khan (Oman)

The tournament’s leading wicket taker, and the greatest single reason for Oman’s success. Three-fors against UAE and Nigeria kept Oman’s target within reach on each occasion, while in a play-off thriller, Bilal Khan’s opening burst helped reduce Hong Kong to 15-4, from which they never quite recovered.

10. Bernard Scholtz (Namibia)

No one who claimed as many wickets as Bernard Scholtz conceded as few runs per over. In every game up until qualification was secured, he claimed at least a wicket, and in that play-off, his miserly 3-14 meant Oman never got close to Namibia’s 161.

11. Brandon Glover (Netherlands)

That the Netherlands defended their title with only one player making it into this side is a marker of how well they combined as a team, but if there was a standout, it was 22-year-old right-arm quick Brandon Glover.

He finished second on the wicket charts with 16 scalps and conceded under a run a ball throughout, keeping it tight up top and striking in the middle. His 4-12 against UAE decided the playoff in Netherlands’ favour virtually before it had begun, and only once in the competition did he go wicketless.