Namibia qualifies for Under-19 Cricket World Cup

WINDHOEK-SPORT REPORTER Namibia's Under-19 national team was victorious by 52 runs against Kenya in the final of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Africa Division 1, and progressed to the world cup for players in that age group. Namibia won the toss and chose to bat first, but their top order failed to capitalise early on, losing wickets at regular intervals. With help from opener Xander Pitchers, Namibia reached 110/4 but the batsman was dismissed by Kiral Patel for 52. Namibia's lower order slumped to 173 all out, with the only resistance coming from JP Kotze contributing with 43 of 62 balls. This set Kenya a target of 174 in 50 overs. JJ Smit, Namibian opener, struck early in the first over, dismissing Gurdeep Singh (0). This put Kenya on the back foot. Namibia did not let go of their grip on the game from there, as Kenya collapsed to 121 all out in 40 overs. Hamza Malik was Kenya's top scorer with 47, as JJ Smit (4/17) and Bredell Wessels (2/13) did the damage with the ball. With that victory, Namibia's Under-19s will now play in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in Dubai, UAE, in March next year. Namibian batsman Xander Pitchers received the Batsman of the Series award after scoring 228 runs in 3 innings with an average of 76, which included a fifty, and a highest score of 161.