- Captain Busing-Volschenk top scores again for Eagles as they seal passage to Sri Lanka
- Shaik Basha smashes 115 not out as hosts end qualifier on a high against Sierra Leone
- Kenya down Nigeria to secure second place after Uganda lose last ball thriller
- Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Nigeria drop down to Division Two for 2026 qualification
Namibia finished a most successful ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier in Dar Es Salaam in fine style, powering to a 53-run victory over Nigeria on Sunday.
The win secured their passage to the 15th World Cup tournament in Sri Lanka next year. Not for the first time this week, their victory was built around more sensible batting from their outstanding captain, Alexander Busing-Volschenk.
All week he has held his side’s batting efforts together, and his 34 saw them to 148 for 9 – more than enough of a total against Nigeria. The West Africans have struggled all week, and they did themselves no favours by conceding 37 extras in the process – including 23 wides.
Joshua Asia was again at the heart of any signs of resistance from Nigeria, taking three for 14 with the ball, and top scoring with 27 not out, as his side were bowled out for 95.
Peter Blignaut’s five for 23 was backed up by Namibia’s other key to success this week; brilliant fielding. Their energy has seldom dipped, and that has resulted in pressure on opposition, leading to errors in judgment.
Africa will be well-represented at the World Cup by South Africa, Zimbabwe and this young Namibian unit, full of future senior stars. Morris Kariata was a menace all week, with his left-arm swing bowling, at pace, proving too much for many. His partner in crime, Jack Brassell was also impressive, and they allowed Namibia to build pressure early in every contest.
In the other fixture on the final day, Tanzania’s Shaik Basha gave the local fans plenty to be proud of, as he notched an emotional first century of the tournament and propelled his team to the highest total of the week. Basha’s 115 not out was off 129 balls, with five boundaries and a six, and was greeted with gusto from the sidelines. He received excellent support from Johnson Nyambo (56) as Tanzania overwhelmed a tired looking Sierra Leone outfit.
George Sesay (three for 27) delivered with ball and bat (28), but they were never going to chase down 260. Nyambo then added four wickets to his half-century, while Augustine Mwamele’s four for 16 got the party started early for the hosts.
In terms of the final standings, Uganda breathed a huge sigh of relief after the home side’s victory over Sierra Leone had done them a massive favour on the final day. Tanzania’s victory meant that Uganda will not be relegated to Division Two.
Saturday’s action had seen Sierra Leone win a thriller against Uganda off the final ball of the match, by just one wicket. Ibrahim Sesay and Aliya Kumara nudged their side home, chasing 138 to win, as they put on 33 for the final wicket, to outlast a determined Uganda side. Raymond Coker’s four for 22 had earlier seen Sierra Leone reduce Uganda to 137 all out, with skipper Fahad Mutagana top-scoring with 48.
In the other fisture on Saturday, Kenyabeat Nigeria by six wickets, having reduced them to just 84 all out in 26.1 overs. Solomon Chilemanya (20) was again the star with the bat for Nigerians, but it was never going to be enough. Darsh Panchani’s 56 not out then guided the East Africans to a solid victory, though it did take them over 37 overs to get there.
In all, the Qualifier was a test of batting technique and patience, with low and slow wickets the order of the day. Teams like Tanzania and Kenya, who were expected to push Namibia strongly – given how well they performed in similar conditions in Abuja – will rue not using enough of their slow bowling options this week.
Nigeria desperately needs to rebuild their confidence, while Uganda and Sierra Leone need to give their promising bowling attacks more runs to play with. Too often, their respective top orders were blown away, and gave their bowlers no chance.
This signals the end of a successful week for cricket development on the continent, and a new generation of African starlets emerging is a tantalizing prospect.
Alexander Busing-Volschenk was named as the player of the tournament, for his important knocks and wickets throughout the week. George Sesay and Junior Kariata shared the bowler of the tournament award (although the latter was erroneously left out during the prize giving), while the tournament’s top scorer, Solomon Chilemanya, was the batter of the week.
Scores in brief:
Saturday:
Sierra Leone v Uganda
Uganda 137 all out in 49.3 overs (Fahad Mutagana 48, Gerald Olipa 26, Raymond Coker four for 22, George Sesay three for 31)
Sierra Leone 138 for nine in 50 overs (George Sesay 37, Alusine Turay, Fahad Mutagana three for 20)
Sierra Leone won by one wicket
Kenya v Nigeria
Nigeria 84 all out in 26.1 overs (Solomon Chilemanya 20, Hitendra Sanghani four for 26, Krish Haria three for 15)
Kenya 88 for four in 37.3 overs (Darsh Panchani 56 not out, Victor Samuel, three for 13)
Kenya won by six wickets
Sunday:
Namibia v Nigeria
Namibia 148 for 9 in 50 overs (Alexander Busing-Volschenk 34, Gerhard Janse Van Rensburg 25, Joshua Asia three for 14)
Nigeria 95 all out in 37 overs (Joshua Asia 27 not out, Solomon Chilemanya 26, Peter Blignaut five for 23, Zacheo Jansen van Vuuren three for 22)
Namibia won by 95 runs
Tanzania v Sierra Leone
Tanzania 259 for 9 in 50 overs (Shaik Basha 115 not out, Johnson Nyambo 56, George Sesay three for 27)
Sierra Leone 117 all out in 24.1 overs (George Sesay 28, Alusine Turay 23, Augustine Mwamele four for 16, Johnson Nyambo, four for 25)
Tanzania won by 142 runs
Points Table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Points | NRR |
| Namibia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1.749 |
| Kenya | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0,019 |
| Uganda | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0,343 |
| Sierra Leone | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0,698 |
| Tanzania | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -0,473 |
| Nigeria | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0,607 |
