Ireland will contest the final of the WCQ but it is yet to be decided who they will play in the final. It has been a fascinating tournament with so many twists and turns and every game has been difficult to predict with any certainty.

Everyone associated with the Ireland team should be very proud of their achievements. They have qualified for the World Cup finals with some style and it is a tribute to the strength in depth of the squad. I believe that the overall standard of cricket has improved in the associate nations over the last four years since the WCQ in Ireland in 2005.

There are no easy matches. Remember the scare Oman gave Ireland and the improvement in countries like Afghanistan has been astounding. Indeed such has been the negative publicity surrounding a country like Afghanistan in recent years that it is heart warming to see that cricket has pushed the Taliban off the front pages of the newspapers and is the leading story in the television news-rounds.

The players are staying in the same hotel as the touring Australians who have taken a keen interest in the progress of the Afghan team. Afghanistan desperately want to win their last game so that even if the other results don't go their way they should still make ODI status by qualifying in the top 6. Such is the fervour back home that some of the players are receiving upwards of 200 emails each day from well wishers.

It is incredible that they have played themselves to the brink of World Cup qualification from Division 5 in less than a year. Even here they were lucky to scrape out of their group. A couple of no results along with victories over Botswana, Bahamas and Japan allowed them to edge ahead of Singapore on run rate. Victories over Nepal and hosts Jersey in the finals meant promotion to Division 4 and they were off again on their travels, this time to Tanzania in October 2008.

Stiffer opposition awaited in Dar Es Salaam. However, Italy who recorded a win over Netherlands in the European Championships, ACC Elite Trophy winners Hong Kong, fellow Div. 5 finalists Jersey, hosts Tanzania and Fiji, (coached by former Instonians player Colin Siller) could not stop the Afghans.

From Dar (it's a great spot by the way if you know the right places to go) it was off to Buenos Aires in Argentina in January 2009. Argentina, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea were swept aside to take them along with Uganda to South Africa. Who would bet against them qualifying from here? It is an astonishing story.

It shows that the development program laid out by the ICC is working. The financial incentives are there to improve and every country is given an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. Ireland's success in 2007 in the West Indies has inspired a lot of other countries. I also think that Ireland is a better side now than it was in 2007.

The development of young players has given the squad strength in depth. Who would have believed that this team could have played such superb cricket without Kyle McCallan and Andre Botha, two of their most consistent performers in recent years? It goes to prove again that standing still is not an option. The habitual thrashing Scotland has received from Ireland at youth level shows that we have young players who can push their senior players into improved performances. Scotland has not had that in recent times and has stagnated. You cannot stand still in international cricket.

Kenya and Scotland contested the final of the ICC World Cricket League in 2007 and their chances of World Cup qualification hang by a thread. Bermuda who also made the 2007 CWC finals have already crashed and burned.

Today (17 April 2009) at Benoni, Scotland will play the United Arab Emirates in the biggest game in the respective cricket histories. Victory will not guarantee qualification for the World Cup but it should secure a place in the top division of associate cricket and ODI status until 2013. Scotland is currently bottom of the Super 8 table with 4 points. The UAE have 6 points but an inferior run rate to the other teams. Because Namibia play Afghanistan in the final fixture it means that defeat in the Scotland/ UAE game condemns the loser to relegation from the top flight and a loss of ODI status. The stakes could not be higher.

Ireland fans can well remember the heartache of failing to qualify for a World Cup but for us the pressure is off. Standards need to be maintained for the sake of every other team in the competition. Because of that and to ensure the intensity does not drop before the final I hope that Ireland goes all out to defeat Kenya. When Ireland lost to Afghanistan it proved that you cannot take the foot off the gas for a second. Good luck to Scotland but I fear it is too late.