After 55 matches in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship spanning just over two years, it has come down to the very last match to determine which side will join Ireland in qualifying for the biggest cricket spectacle on the planet – the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 – to be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March.

Friday’s match between Afghanistan and Kenya at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, starting at 0900 local time (0500 GMT), will determine whether Afghanistan will earn an automatic qualification for ICC’s flagship event or whether the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will break a 19-year drought to return to the ICC Cricket World Cup stage.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March, and India will begin its title defence against traditional rival Pakistan in Adelaide on 15 February, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced today.

India, which won the 2011 event when it defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final in Mumbai, will complete its group fixtures against Zimbabwe at Eden Park, Auckland, on 14 March. In the group, India will also play South Africa (in Melbourne on 22 February), Qualifier 4 (in Perth on 28 February), West Indies (in Perth on 6 March) and Ireland* (in Hamilton on 10 March).

Afghanistan is just one win away from direct qualification to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 after defeating Kenya by eight wickets in the first of their two ODIs in the crucial, final round of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Championship at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Hamid Hassan returned match figures of four for 19 as Kenya, opting to bat first, was bowled out for 89 in 37.5 overs. In turn, Nawroz Mangal belted three fours and four sixes in a 60-ball 52, and Mohammad Shahzad scored a 41-ball 33 as Afghanistan achieved victory for the loss of two wickets inside 18 overs. The two openers put on 79 runs for the first wicket in just over 16 overs.

Ireland qualified for its third successive ICC Cricket World Cup after its ICC World Cricket League Championship match against Netherlands on Tuesday ended in a sensational tie in Amstelveen.

The home side’s number-nine batsman Michael Rippon hit a four and a six from the final two deliveries off John Mooney to snatch a point for his side, but couldn’t stop Ireland from winning the ICC World Cup League Championship and progressing to ICC’s flagship event that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

The International Cricket Council and the England and Wales Cricket Board have signed the host agreement to stage the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales at meetings held in Dubai on May 26. The tournament will be held throughout June 2019 and will be played at 10 venues.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said after the signing in Dubai: “The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into Staging Agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Finalists Australia and West Indies contribute a total of six players to the ICC Women’s World Cup India 2013 team of the tournament, which was announced today in Mumbai, with Player of the Tournament, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates named as captain.

Chosen by a select group of experts the team was aimed at being suited for India conditions on the basis of performances in the tournament only. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections. The side features not only players from Australia and West Indies, but also sees four England players, one New Zealander and one Sri Lankan in the side.

Australia marched its way into Women’s World Cup history tonight as the side won a record sixth ICC Women’s World Cup title after it beat West Indies by 114 runs in front of a vociferous crowd at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium. Electing to bat first, Australia posted a formidable 259-7 off its 50 overs – the highest score in a 50-over Women’s World Cup final – before dismissing West Indies for just 145 runs. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates was declared Player of the Tournament for her 407 runs with three half-centuries and a ton at an average of 67.83. She also took four wickets while captaining her side to a fourth place finish in the tournament.

The final saw the return of Australia’s Ellyse Perry, back from an ankle injury and bowling with all the aggression expected of a fast bowler, taking 3-19 in her 10 overs. The Australian women dominated right from the start never letting the dangerous West Indies batting off the hook.

England Women ended their 2013 World Cup campaign on a high with a four wicket victory over New Zealand to claim third place at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai today. Charlotte Edwards led her side to victory scoring her eighth international century, equalling the record for the most centuries and becoming the first woman to score over 5000 runs in a career.

England won the toss and inserted New Zealand, restricting them to 220-8 from their 50 overs. Holly Colvin emerged as pick of the bowlers, taking three for 31 from her 10 overs and claiming the scalp of the White Ferns’ main contributor Amy Satterthwaite who posted 85.