Tanzania thrash Mali in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup sub-regional tie

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania National cricket team head coach, Pushpa Kumar has been impressed with the performances of his team in the ongoing iICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier at the Dar Gymkhana ground.

In the match, Tanzania recorded 10 wickets against Mali to start the competition with a bang.

Speaking with The Citizen, Kumar said players deserves compliments for winning the first match and believe will do the same in the remaining matches and secure a slot in the next World Cup qualifiers.

“I have been impressed with what my players have delivered in the match. We need victory and I call them to continue to win the match.

Our aim is to win first position and if not so, second to qualify for the next edition. I have committed players whom I believe will not let us down,” said Kumar.

Mali, batted first and managed to score only 18 runs after all 10 players were dismissed, having used 12 out of the 20 allocated overs.

Tanzania responded effectively to this low score by making 19 runs without losing any wickets, using just 0.5 of the 20 overs, thus securing victory by 10 wickets. Sanze Kamate and Yacouba Konate were the standout players for Mali, each managing to score only three runs.

Sanjay Bom, who took four wickets, along with Laksh Snehal and Harsheed Chohan, who each took two wickets, contributed significantly to Tanzania's easy win in this match. In another opening match, Ghana defeated Cameroon by eight wickets in a game held at the University of Dar es Salaam ground in the city.

Cameroon batted first and managed to score 40 runs after all 10 players were dismissed, having used 14 out of the 20 allocated overs. Using just 8 overs, Ghana was able to surpass their opponents’ score by reaching 41 runs while losing only 2 wickets, thus securing an 8-wicket victory.

Kofi Bagabena, who scored 10 runs, and Vincent Ateak, who added 9 runs, were instrumental in Ghana’s win in this match.

The third match between Malawi and Lesotho recorded the highest number of runs, with Malawi defeating Lesotho by 92 runs at the University of Dar es Salaam ground.

Winning the toss, Malawi managed to score 144 runs after completing all 20 overs while losing 4 wickets.

This score proved to be a mountain too high for Lesotho, as their efforts ended at 52 runs after all 10 players were dismissed, having used 14 out of the 20 allocated overs. This earned Malawi a comfortable 92-run victory.

The star batsman of the match was Sami Mohammad Sohail from Malawi, who single-handedly scored 61 runs.