Runners-up from 2011 Italy are in group A for this tournament, and they field a team with just three changes from their 2011 line-up, which will be hoping for a second consecutive final appearance. They come into the tournament after a disappointing World Cricket League Division Three campaign in which they finished last. Peter Petricola was the second highest run scorer in that tournament, and will no doubt play a key role for them in this event, with the ball as well as the bat.

Their main rivals in Group A are likely to be Guernsey, semi-finalists in 2011. New coach Nic Pothas, who played for Greece in last year's Division Two tournament, has rung the changes for the side, with eight newcomers since the 2011 tournament. They will miss the unavailable Tim Ravenscroft, but still have the experience of Jeremy Frith, who is the second highest run scorer in the history of the World Cricket League.

Fifth place team from 2011 Norway will no doubt be hoping to go at least one better in 2013 and make the semi-finals, and they've picked a squad with eight changes from their 2011 line-up. The Norwegians last competitive action was in WCL Division Eight in Samoa last year, and captain Shahbaz Butt was one of the leading bowlers in that event, and will likely play a key role for them in this tournament.

Austria impressed many in 2011 after being promoted from Division Two, and they will be hoping to do well again this year. They have been preparing for the tournament with plenty of international action with matches against Hungary and the Czech Republic all taking place in recent weeks. The 2011 tournament saw the retirement of long time national team player Andrew Simpson-Parker, but a new generation of the Simpson-Parkers is in the team for this tournament in the shape of Mark Simpson-Parker. The player to watch though is definitely captain Amar Naeem, who scored the tournament's only century in 2011, also taking five stumpings in the match to complete a unique double in international Twenty20 cricket.

For Gibraltar, nine players return from their 2011 squad, and they will be hoping to do better than their ninth place finish that time out. They are set to get publicity for themselves leading up to the tournament as they appear on Sky Sports show "Cricket AM" the weekend prior to the tournament.

The promoted team in Group A are Sweden, who have come all the way up from Division Three in 2011. Unsurprisingly they've only made four changes from that Division Two squad and their player to watch is likely to be Azam Khalil, who was the joint second highest wicket-taker in Division Two last year.