The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier tournament will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, over the next week, with a high standard of cricket anticipated.
Teams have arrived, and there is an air of anticipation for the first continental event of 2019. The tournament is expected to be a fiercely contested affair, thanks to some very good talent coming through the African structures.
Several of the players involved in the week have recently been involved in a placement programme in South Africa, plying their trade for various club sides.
The upshot off that were some fine individual performances, and those players involved will be looking to transfer those displays into a tournament that matters.
There is a liberal spread of young players who have already represented their senior national sides, so the battle for supremacy in Namibia is one that is expected to run all week.
Hosts Namibia get the ball rolling on Sunday, when they meet one of the fancied squads in the tournament, Nigeria. Uganda meet Kenya at WAP, while Tanzania and Sierra Leone contest the third match of the opening day at Trustco United.
SQUADS
Kenya
Sukhdeep Singh, Brij Patel, David Okaro, Dilan Shah, Francis Mutua, Hashit Vekaria, Jairaj Pujara,
Krushil Savla, Pradyuman Joshi, Satish Hirani, Shay Shah, Shukan Mehta, Shukraj Ghataora, Vraj Patel
Namibia
Filippus Opperman, Dian Neethling, Divan la Cock, Robert Wilson, Erich Wittmann, Etienne Beukes, Henry Brink, Jan Izak de Villiers, Jan Balt, Matthew de Gouveia, Mauritius Ngupita, Mell Theunissen, Ramon Wilmot, Victor van der Watt
Nigeria
Sylvester Okpe, Mohammed Taiwo, Sulaimon Runsewe, Isaac Danladi, Olayinka Olaleye, Miracle Ikaige, Abdulrahman Jimoh, Peter Aho, Shehu Audu, Emmanuel Boniface, Akhere Isesele, Rasheed Abolarin, Samuel Mba, Ifeanyichukwu Uboh
Sierra Leone
George Ngegba, John Bangura, Eric Turay, Haroun Kamara, John Lassayo, Osman Sankoh, Emmanuel Akpor, Chernor Bah, Aruna Kanessie, Charles Kargbo, Samuel Conteh, James Tommy, Edmond Ernest, James Bangura
Tanzania
Krutik Thakkar, Kartik Sayal, Dhrumit Atul, Salimini Saidi, Abdallah Jamiri, Mohamed Issa, Abubakar Alfani, Faraji Mrope, Sefu Mokiwa, Yalinda Nkanya, Aahil Jasani, Kelvin Mbinda, Baraka Laiza, Ashish Shah
Uganda
Frank Akankwasa, Zephania Arinaitwe, Ronald Opio, John Gabula, Trevor Bukenya, Murungi Pascal, Nuwugaba Edwin, Juma Miyagi, Ashraf Senkubuge, Munir Ismail, Smon Okecho, Ramathan Ochimi, Perry Wazombe, Cosmas Kyetuwa.
FIXTURES
Sunday 17 March
Wanderers – Namibia vs Nigeria
WAP – Kenya vs Uganda
Trustco United – Sierra Leone vs Tanzania
Monday 18 March
Wanderers – Uganda vs Sierra Leone
WAP – Tanzania vs Namibia
Trustco United – Nigeria vs Kenya
Tuesday 19 March
Reserve Day
Wednesday 20 March
Wanderers – Tanzania vs Kenya
WAP – Uganda vs Nigeria
Trustco United – Namibia vs Sierra Leone
Thursday 21 March
Wanderers – Nigeria vs Tanzania
WAP – Kenya vs Sierra Leone
Trustco United – Namibia vs Uganda
Friday 22 March
Rest or reserve day
Saturday 23 March
Wanderers – Kenya vs Namibia
WAP – Sierra Leone vs Nigeria
Trustco United – Uganda vs Tanzania
