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2028 Cricket World Cup qualifiers: Kenya plays Mali in pre-qualifier tournament
Kenya cricket men’s team pose for a photo at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on May 21, 2026 before flying out to Botswana for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional qualifiers “ A” in Gaborone, Botswana.
What you need to know:
- Kenya best performance in the World Cup was in the 2003 when the country lost in the semi-finals to India by 91 runs in South Africa.
- The other participants in the Africa Sub-Regional Qualifiers “A” are hosts Botswana, Rwanda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire.
Yearning for a return to the prestigious International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup, Kenya’s coach Joseph Angara says his team will not underrate their opponents in the 2028 Men’s Twenty (T20) World Cup Africa sub-regional qualifiers ‘A’ which bowl off on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Gaborone, Botswana.
Kenya last played in the Cricket World Cup in 2011 during the One Day International (ODI) tournament co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Kenya’s previous appearances in the global tournament came in the ODI World Cups of 1996, 1999 and 2003, as well as the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007.
Kenya best performance in the World Cup was in the 2003 when the country lost in the semi-finals to India by 91 runs in South Africa.
Determined to end the long wait spanning more than a decade, Kenya’s coach Joseph Angara has said they will approach every match in Gaborone with seriousness, as their aim is not only to progress to the Africa regional qualifier but also win the title.
The other participants in the Africa Sub-Regional Qualifiers “A” matches are hosts Botswana, Rwanda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire. The competition will be played in a round-robin format from May 23 to 31.
“To be honest, qualifiers are not the easiest. We are not going to take any team for granted. Every game is going to be important for us. We want to win all the games and lift the trophy,” Angara said.
He spoke on Thursday morning at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi before the team departed for Botswana.
Delayed salary payments
Kenya’s 14-man squad for the assignment include returnee Irfan Karim, newcomer Subham Patel and former captains Rakep Patel and Shem Ngoche.
Karim is making a return to the team after his last appearance during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub Regional Qualifier “B” in Nairobi in October 2024. He was sidelined from the team’s subsequent assignments due to off-field issues.
For Subham, this marks his maiden call-up to the senior national team.
Kenya will open their campaign against Mali on Saturday.
All the top two teams from Sub-Regional Qualifiers “A”, “B” and “C” will progress to the Africa regional qualifier where giants Namibia are awaiting.
The top two teams from the Africa regional qualifier will win slots to the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Angara said that although their preparations in Nairobi were often interrupted by rain, they are satisfied with the level of preparations they have had.
On his part, the team’s captain Dhiren Gondaria said the morale in the team was high ahead of the tournament after the new Cricket Kenya (CK) officials started addressing their challenges which include delayed salary payments.
Administrator and Businessman Bhavesh Gohil was elected the new CK chairman in the elections held on April 19, 2026.
Leadership wrangles
“They (new CK officials) have given us a lot of hope. They have already started the process (of addressing the challenges they face), which the previous officials did not,” Gondaria said.
Regarding the tournament, he stated: “I usually tell my boys not to underestimate any team, we will play hard and we will try to win all the games. If we give our best in every match then we will come back with the title.”
With ICC catering for the team’s air tickets and accommodation as it had done before, CK chairman Gohil said it was a strong sign of the confidence the international body has in Kenya and that they would work to strengthen the trust further.
“The most important thing is that we are participating because initially it was never guaranteed (due to the looming suspension by ICC where initially we were on the fence (due to Kenya’s looming suspension/expulsion by ICC over leadership wrangles at CK). The ICC has confidence in us and stakeholders are watching. We will give our best as officials,” Gohi said on Thursday when he saw off the team at JKIA.
Kenya’s Fixtures:
May 23, 2026 - Kenya vs Mali
May 25, 2026 - Kenya vs Rwanda
May 26, 2026 - Kenya vs Sierra Leone
May 28, 2026 - Cameroon vs Kenya
May 29, 2026 - Botswana vs Kenya
May 30, 2026 - Cote d’Ivoire vs Kenya
