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Kenya’s U-19 Cricket World Cup dreams dim after Tanzania loss

Kenya Under-19 captain Yash Gohil bats during a training session at Nairobi Gymkhana pm January 21, 2025. 



Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

By  Victor Otieno

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • Kenya’s Stian Smith took the most wickets against Tanzania, claiming three in 8.1 overs, where he earned a maiden and conceded 26 runs. Akshith Sekar and Saijeeth Chidambaran followed with two wickets each.
  • On the batting front, Neel Doshi top-scored for Kenya with 18 runs off 71 balls, but Tanzania’s superb bowling, led by Hamza Ally Onai and Raymond Francis (both taking three wickets each), dismantled the Kenyan lineup.

Kenya’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup suffered a major setback after a 54-run loss to Tanzania in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday.

With Zimbabwe and Namibia set to co-host the global competition, Tanzania’s dominant bowling performance at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Cricket Oval proved too much for Kenya, who were dismissed for just 60 runs in 42.5 overs while chasing a modest target of 114 all out in 41.1 overs.

The crucial victory makes Tanzania the favourites to secure the sole ticket to the World Cup, marking what would be their first-ever appearance on the global stage.

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With an unbeaten record in four matches, Tanzania now lead the standings with eight points, two ahead of defending champions Namibia. Kenya are third with six points, followed by Nigeria and Uganda with two points each, while winless Sierra Leone sit at the bottom.

For Kenya to qualify, they must defeat Namibia by a big margin and hope that Tanzania lose to Sierra Leone on Sunday—a highly unlikely scenario.

“We were the strongest team on paper (against Tanzania). We just did not apply ourselves with the bat. It is just one of those tough days in the office. We have to go back to the drawing board, and hopefully, we win against Namibia,” said Kenya’s captain Yash Gohil.

Looking ahead to the crucial clash against Namibia at TBS, Gohil emphasized that his team will focus on playing freely.

“We will seek to have fun, play freely, and enjoy the game,” he added.

Both Kenya and Tanzania entered the match with three wins each in the tournament. Kenya had secured victories against: Sierra Leone (by 58 runs), Uganda (by seven wickets) and Nigeria (by four runs via the VJD method)

Meanwhile, Tanzania had defeated Nigeria (by 122 runs), Uganda (by 73 runs) and Namibia (by 17 runs)

Kenya’s Stian Smith took the most wickets against Tanzania, claiming three in 8.1 overs, where he earned a maiden and conceded 26 runs. Akshith Sekar and Saijeeth Chidambaran followed with two wickets each.

On the batting front, Neel Doshi top-scored for Kenya with 18 runs off 71 balls, but Tanzania’s superb bowling, led by Hamza Ally Onai and Raymond Francis (both taking three wickets each), dismantled the Kenyan lineup.

Kenya last played in the World Cup in 2018 in New Zealand, where they failed to progress beyond the group stage.