Guernsey ready for ‘massive challenge’ of T20 World Cup qualifier

“It’s very surreal when I read articles and hear people tell me we’re four games away from the World Cup proper,” Guernsey Cricket manager Rob Thomson admits.

The Channel Island side are preparing for their first-ever appearance in the final round of qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

They will travel to the Netherlands next month for Europe’s regional final, a round-robin tournament against the hosts, Scotland, Italy and Channel Island rivals Jersey – with the top two sides progressing to next year’s showpiece in India and Sri Lanka.

Ranked 37th in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings, Guernsey are behind 32nd-placed Italy, 28th-placed Jersey and favourites Scotland and the Netherlands, who are rated 13th and 14th respectively.

“I think you have to recognise the step up for our lads in particular is huge,” Thomson, whose side qualified for the tournament after winning their sub-regional qualifier last summer, told BBC Sport.

“We’re the lowest ranked side of the five in the competition, so that tells its own story. The gap between the sub-regional qualification process that we went through last year to this stage is massive.

“You’re going from playing on artificial wickets against lower-ranked European nations to playing on grass against at least two, you could argue three, maybe three-and-a-half professional sides.

“So it’s a massive step up, but T20, as everyone knows, is a leveller.”