Maqonda Ndlovu
Namibia’s under-19 National Cricket Team qualified for the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup after being crowned Africa Qualifier champions in Tanzania on Sunday, following their 53-run victory over Nigeria.
Namibia posted 148 runs for the loss of nine wickets (148/9) in their 50 overs – and once again, the bowlers came to play by restricting Nigeria to 95 all out in 37 overs.
Captain Alexander Büsing-Volschenk top scored with 34 runs from 42 balls, while vice captain Gerhard Johannes Janse van Rensburg scored 25 from 50.
Bowler Peter-Daniel Blignaut took five wickets for 23 runs in 10 overs, while Zacheo Rudolf Jansen van Vuuren took three wickets for 22 runs in nine overs to lead Namibia to an emphatic victory.
The victory also means Namibia has booked their berth for the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka next year.
Namibia was the only country to finish the tournament undefeated – even though their first match against Uganda was washed out.
The bowlers played a significant role in Namibia’s victories as they continuously defended low scores, with most of the opposition failing to pass the 100-run mark.
Namibia defeated Tanzania by 106 runs, Kenya by seven wickets and Sierra Leone by 83 runs in other matches.
They brushed aside Sierra Leone by 83 runs, with left-arm pacer Morris Gerhardt Kariata leading the way with a four-wicket haul.
The 2024 U/19 Cricket World Cup will be held in Sri Lanka.
Namibia joins Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe – who automatically qualified as the best-placed full member nations from the previous edition in 2022.
They will also be joined by New Zealand, who qualified from the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, and Nepal, who advanced from Asia in February 2023.
Meanwhile, the ICC has confirmed that Namibia and Zimbabwe will host the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 edition.
The victorious team arrived in Namibia yesterday evening and was welcomed by cricket fans at the Hosea Kutako International Airport.