Germany's Andre Leslie writes about the ICC WCL Division Eight.
What a feeling! As you can imagine, the mood in the German camp is tough to beat this evening. We have worked hard for a long time to get ourselves back and ready for the World Cricket League - it all started at a successful European Championships in Guernsey in July - and that just makes victory all the sweeter today. Still, we knew we would have to play well against Vanuatu to get the victory. They have played consistently all tournament and have been turning heads with their positive attitude and non-stop music!
Even though we did not manage a big total like in some of our other games, we were quietly confident with our total of 185. The ground at Sulabiya has been a tough place to bat all tournament. Personally, I was obviously pretty disappointed not to be in the starting line-up today. But, that is sometimes what happens when your team is performing well - there are only 11 spots after all. It sounds clich d, but the success of the team was the most important thing and it was great to be part of that. I also want to send my condolences, via this route, to Trevor and his team.
The game today was very important for both sides. We wish Vanuatu all the best on Friday in their final game - their team has certainly played in the right spirit and still has plenty to play for. We did not go too wild with celebrations this evening - just a quick swim followed by a round of pizza. The final against Kuwait will be a big game and a good challenge. Ending this tournament on top would really be a great event for German cricket.