ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after Namibia vs Zimbabwe, Match 3
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2023 started on Wednesday, November 22, with three matches being played on the first day.
The first game between Kenya and Rwanda was played at the United Cricket Club Ground in Windhoek. The second game between Tanzania and Uganda was played at the Wanderers Cricket Ground. Zimbabwe and Namibia also played the third game of the day at the Wanderers Cricket Ground.
Namibia, Uganda, and Kenya secured a win on the opening day of the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier and are in the first three places on the points tally. Namibia have a Net Run Rate of 2.536, Uganda have a Net Run Rate of +1.898, while Kenya have a Net Run Rate of 0.850.
Nigeria are the only team that didn’t play a game on the first day and are in fourth place in the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier standings. Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe are in the next three places after suffering a loss on the first day.
T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2023: Nikolaas Davin's Explosive 89 Powers Namibia to Win Over Zimbabwe
In the first game between Kenya and Rwanda, the latter opted to bowl after winning the toss. Kenya showcased a strong batting performance, accumulating 154 runs for the loss of two wickets in 20 overs.
Collins Obuya and Irfan Karim had a solid partnership of 61 runs for the second wicket. Karim remained unbeaten on 63 runs off 43 deliveries. Rwanda's Clinton Rubagumya and Emile Rukiriza secured one wicket each.
Rwanda faced a slow start and managed only 59 runs in the first 10 overs of their chase. Martin Akayezu scored 30 runs off just nine deliveries before he was run out at the end of the 18th over.
Orchide Tuyisenge top-scored with 56 runs off 44 deliveries, while no other player surpassed 30 runs. Rwanda scored 137 runs in the end, resulting in a 17-run defeat. Kenya's Emmanuel Bundi, Pushkar Sharma, and Vraj Patel each claimed a wicket.
In the second encounter of the World Cup Africa Qualifier 2023 between Uganda and Tanzania, Uganda opted to bowl after winning the toss. Tanzania struggled to amass runs and could only make 99 at the end of the 20th over. Only two batters managed to score over 20 runs. Alpesh Ramjani stood out in the bowling unit for Uganda and picked three wickets for 26 runs in four overs.
Uganda faced little difficulty in achieving the 100-run target, securing victory in 15.2 overs with eight wickets in hand. Riazat Ali Shah played a pivotal role with a crucial knock of 47 runs off 27 deliveries. Opener Simon Ssesazi also contributed significantly with an innings of 31 runs off 35 deliveries.
In their World Cup Africa Qualifier clash against Zimbabwe, Namibia won the toss and chose to bowl. The former faced early setbacks, losing their first three wickets for a mere 18 runs.
Despite a 55-run partnership between Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza for the fourth wicket, Zimbabwe could post only 132 runs in 20 overs. JJ Smit was instrumental with the ball for Namibia, claiming three wickets while conceding just 24 runs in four overs.
Namibia had a dominant start in the chase as Nikolaas Davin and Michael van Lingen amassed 74 runs in the powerplay, turning the contest heavily in their favor. Davin showcased an impressive performance, scoring 89 runs off just 45 deliveries.
It was his third half-century in T20Is this year, and the previous two also came against Zimbabwe. His innings helped Namibia secure victory by seven wickets in 14.4 overs.