African Qualifiers: Zimbabwe book spot in T20 World Cup 2026 after clutch win over Kenya

HARARE(Zimbabwe): Zimbabwe’s clinical win over Kenya in the second semi-final of the African Qualifiers sealed their spot for next year’s T20 World Cup on Thursday.

In the semi-final fixture, Zimbabwe ensured a qualification over Kenya with a seven-wicket win in the later fixture after Dhiren Gondaria won the toss and elected to bat.

Rakep Patel smashed a brilliant 65 off 47 balls, but his solo effort wasn’t enough as Zimbabwe’s bowlers dominated the match. Chasing a target of 123, Zimbabwe’s openers, Brian Bennett, launched a strong attack, with Bennett scoring 51 runs off 25 deliveries.

The right-hander carved out an impressive six fours off Lucas Ndandason’s over to all but confirm Zimbabwe’s spot in next year’s marquee tournament in India and Sri Lanka.

The Chevrons have qualified for the T20 World Cup after missing out on the previous edition in 2024.

On the other hand, Namibia has confirmed its ticket for a trip to the sub-continent for next year’s T20 World Cup after trouncing Tanzania in their African Qualifiers semi-final contest without much fuss in Harare on Thursday.

Namibia outfoxed Tanzania with an imposing 63-run victory and became the first team from the African Qualifiers to qualify for the marquee event. The guaranteed spot will mark Namibia’s fourth appearance at the T20 World Cup, following its previous attendance in 2021 (Super 12s), 2022 (group stage), and 2024 (group stage).

Both ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 spots from the Africa Regional Final are now taken after Namibia defeated Tanzania, while Zimbabwe clinched a win over Kenya.

As of now, 17 teams have qualified for the showpiece event. The Asia EAP qualifier will see three more teams earn a spot in next year’s World Cup.

India (host), Sri Lanka (host), Afghanistan (Super Eight), Australia (Super Eight), Bangladesh (Super Eight), England (Super Eight), South Africa (Super Eight), West Indies (Super Eight), United States of America (Super Eight), Pakistan (ICC Rankings), New Zealand (ICC Rankings), Ireland (ICC Rankings), Canada (Americas Regional Final), Netherlands (Europe Regional Final), Italy (Europe Regional Final) Namibia (African Qualifiers), Zimbabwe ((African Qualifiers). (ANI)