DAR ES SALAAM: LEGENDS of Tanzania have applauded the Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) for its successful organisation of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier and extended their best wishes to the national youth team.
The tournament, which is a crucial step towards the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2026 commenced yesterday and will conclude on 8th of this month at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club (DGC) and the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) grounds.
Three teams will advance to the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup Africa Qualifier in 2025.
Group A features Botswana, Malawi, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, while Group B includes Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania. Dinesh Vaishnav, a Senior Group Admin, expressed his honour at witnessing the country host such a prestigious event.
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“It is a privilege to see Tanzania organising this world-class tournament. We wish the Tanzania U-19 team success and encourage them to play well. To the visiting U-19 teams, we welcome you to our vibrant city and hope you enjoy your stay,” Vaishnav said during his visit to the opening match at DGC.
Vaishnav, who represented the Legends at the tournament’s inauguration, highlighted his meeting with the Tanzanian U-19 team, led by Captain Laksha Bakrania. He commended TCA Chairman Balakrishan Sreekumar for the significant progress in cricket management under his leadership.
“I look forward to seeing excellent cricket and wish the TZ U19 team the best in the tournament. It will be a pleasure to watch the games from the Dr Kulbir Singh Gupta Pavilion,” he added.
Legendary cricketer Subhash Modi from Kenya also congratulated the TCA. “Hosting another ICC Cricket Tournament is a great honour for Tanzania.
The TCA has been a wonderful host for many cricket events in the past. We hope to see more joyous cricketing days in Zanzibar and wish all teams the best of luck. Remember, cricket is a noble game that enriches our lives,” Modi said.
The Tanzanian team, captained by Laksha Bakrania, includes Karim Kiseto, Abdulrazak Amiri, Omary Ramadhani, Hamza Onai, Augustine Mwamele, Khalidy Juma, Mohamed Imtiaz, Dylan Thakrar, Ally Hafidhi, Sayan Jobanputra, Darpan Jobanputra, Azhaar Premji and Mohamed Mbaki.
They began their campaign with a Group B match against Nigeria at the DGC ground yesterday.