Tanzania clinch ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier

Tanzania claimed a triumphant victory on home soil to secure the trophy in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier after ten days of competition in Dar es Salaam.

Both sides had already sealed their qualification through to next year’s Africa Qualifier by virtue of winning their semi-finals on Friday and took to the field on Sunday with high hopes of an unbeaten sweep of the event.

The rain-affected match saw Sierra Leone win the toss and elect to bowl. Tanzania openers Dylan Thakrar and Darpan Jobanputra started brightly, seeing off the frontline bowlers in a 48-run stand before Jobanputra was dismissed by Mohamed Turay for 21.

The first wicket led to a mini-collapse of sorts, with Tanzania falling to 57 for four by the 14^th over, as Muray and captain Raymond Coker shared the wickets. As Sierra Leone started to impose themselves on the batters, the middle order responded strongly, with skipper Laksh Bakrania (24) and Mohamed Mbaki (29) chipping in with valuable runs as the home side reached a spirited 178 for eight from their 50 overs.

Sierra Leone then set about the chase, but rain intervened to leave them with a revised target of 135 from their 29 overs for victory.

Tanzania’s strike bowlers took advantage of the conditions to rip through the Sierra Leone top order early on, with Khalidy Juma, Hamza Onai, and Bakrania combining to reduce the visitors to 20 for five from the opening 10 overs.

Sierra Leone recovered briefly thanks to efforts in the middle order from Sahr Lebbie (30) and James Bangura (16), but they left themselves too much to do, eventually falling to 98 for eight from their allotted overs, 36 runs short (D/L).

Tanzania captain Laksh Bakrania reacted after his side’s victory: “It's a dream come true, but the journey has just begun. We don't want to do anything different but just keep the basics right.

“It was important to bring smiles to the faces of our fans who supported us throughout the tournament and came in such big numbers today for the final. We still can't believe and express how we feel.

“I thank our coaches, all support staff, and my teammates. We couldn't have asked for more. Many thanks to our management for providing us with the best resources going into this tournament.”

Despite the loss, Sierra Leone captain Coker was named the Player of the Tournament, rewarded for his leadership and individual performances, collecting three Player of the Match accolades as he claimed 14 wickets and hit 97 runs during his side’s campaign.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Nigeria dominated their decisive third-place playoff match against Rwanda to seal the final spot on offer at next year’s Africa Qualifier, the final step on the road to qualification in the region for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026.

Put into bat at the toss, Rwanda’s openers started with control but were soon undone by accurate bowling from the Nigerian outfit.

Opening batter Chris Namuhoranye top scored for Rwanda with 23 runs as they stumbled to 45 all out in 23.4 overs – Nigeria skipper Gafar Kareem was the pick of the bowlers with four for eight from his 5.4 overs, aided capably by Joseph Onoshagbe who claimed three for 15.

In response, Rwanda’s Elise Gihozo enjoyed early success with the ball as he took three for 20 from his five overs, but Nigeria eased over the line, reaching the target of 46 for three from 12.3 overs, led by an explosive 26 off 21 balls from Peculiar Egamasi.

Sunday’s outcomes mean the Africa Qualifier will feature Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and already-qualified Kenya, Namibia, and Uganda, who will compete for the solitary spot on offer at the World Cup.

Atif Salim, the Tournament Coordinator, shared his thoughts on hosting the Division 2 event: "Hosting this tournament has been an incredible experience. The dedication and hard work of the Local Organizing Committee, combined with the unwavering support from our volunteers, fans, and management, have made this event a grand success.

“It’s been a week of thrilling cricket, and we are proud to have showcased the talent and spirit of cricket in Tanzania. The enthusiasm and support from everyone involved has been phenomenal, and we are already looking forward to our next challenge."