dyton mupawaenda
Brandon Moyo
THE fate of the Chevrons in the ongoing T20 World Cup Qualifiers Africa 2023 final is hanging by a thread with only a couple of games left.
After the worst possible start to their campaign, the Chevrons find themselves faced with a possibility of failing to book their spot in next year’s T20 World Cup.
Their destiny is no longer in their hands as they will now be hoping that other results go in their favour.
Zimbabwe are in fourth place with four points from a possible eight while log leaders Namibia are on eight having won all their matches. In second and third there’s Kenya and Uganda respectively on six points.
Only two teams from the seven taking part in the tournament can proceed to next year’s T20 World Cup which will be co-hosted by West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
This is what needs to happen for the Chevrons to qualify and control their destiny:
If Kenya beat Uganda, and Zimbabwe beat Nigeria on same day, they may just need to beat Kenya on final day. This is because the Chevrons’ Net Run Rate is superior to that of Uganda and Kenya. So, if Kenya did beat Uganda, it is incredibly likely that all Zimbabwe would need to do is beat Kenya and have control of their own fate.
If Uganda then beat Rwanda it would be a three-way tie for second spot and then the tie-breaker is NRR after most wins.
Above all, Zimbabwe needs to win their two remaining games (Nigeria and Kenya) and hope that Uganda loses one or all of their remaining matches.
Namibia have now qualified for the World Cup after five consecutive victories in the qualification tournament. The have now become the 19th team to book their place at the World Cup, leaving one spot up for grabs as only 20 teams participate.
Zimbabwe return to action today to face Nigeria at United Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
The match starts at 9.30am and in the afternoon there will be the crunch encounter between Uganda and Kenya, which the Chevrons will be hoping the latter wins to keep their hopes alive.
Online Reporter