Once again, Namibia ended the journey for Kenya at the ongoing ICC men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Lagos, Nigeria.
Kenya lost four wickets to end the hopes of securing a slot at the 2026 World Cup against the continental favourites.
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.
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Kenya were bowled out for 83 in 40.5 overs — another underwhelming total that summed up their campaign.
In reply, Namibia 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.
Additional information Capital Sports