Kenya’s campaign at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier ended in disappointment as they slumped to a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Namibia, officially dashing their hopes of securing a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
Once touted as favourites heading into the tournament, Kenya’s journey instead became a tale of recurring batting collapses, unconvincing tactics, and missed opportunities.
Same script, same struggles put in to bat, Kenya once again failed to shake off the batting woes that have plagued them throughout the tournament.
Skipper Yash Gohil showed some resistance with a patient 31 off 78 balls, while Rayan Kassam (10) and Yuvraj Bhatyani (15) were the only other players to reach double digits. But as has been the case all tournament, Kenya’s top and middle order failed to fire.
Kenya’s innings never got going. Aditya Vekaria, who has had a poor run, was surprisingly retained at the top of the order a decision that backfired yet again as he managed only six runs before falling in the sixth over with the score on 12.
By the end of the 16th over, Kenya were already reeling at 39 for 4.Things went from bad to worse as they slumped to 51 for 7 midway through the innings.
A brief nine-over stand between Gohil and last man Krishil Patel added 19 runs, but it only served to delay the inevitable. Kenya were bowled out for 83 in 40.5 overs another underwhelming total that summed up their campaign.
Namibia seal the deal with EaseIn reply, they wasted little time chasing down the modest target. Despite losing a few wickets, they comfortably got to 84 in just 23 overs, winning by four wickets and officially ending Kenya’s World Cup dream.
The Namibian spinners had done most of the damage with the ball and returned to finish the job with the bat. Tanzania’s unbeaten run closed the Door as their dominant campaign capped off with a fifth straight win over Sierra Leone meant there was no room for slip-ups.
Kenya’s defeat to Namibia handed Tanzania the ticket to the World Cup and left the Kenyans reflecting on what could have been a tournament to forget. For a team that came in with high expectations, Kenya left the tournament with more questions than answers. Their batting lineup failed to deliver in all five matches, and decisions by the coaching staff particularly the persistence with out-of-form players only added to the team’s woes.
