The exhuberant forces of Ghana Cricket, the U-19 team, are in Dar es Salaam – Tanzania, to compete in the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier, from July 31, to August 12, 2024.
The 16-member contingent made up of Team Manager, Seth Nti and Coach Francis Kofi Bakiweyem and 14 players, left the shores of the country on Tuesday afternoon, July 30, 2024 and have set their sights on qualifying to Division 1 in the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2026.
The team that has been in non-residential camping since May include captain Lee Nyarko, Aariz Sood, Prince Ago Adotei, Bernard Addo, David Asewo, Prince Julla and Elisha Frimpong. With an intense one-week residential camping, the rest of the squad has, Emmanuel Appiah, Ashim Popolampo, Danzibel Livingstone Darko, David Ateak, Derrick Ateak, Jeremiah Mensah and Bernard Kotei Neequaye.
Ghana is paired in Group B alongside host Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique. They will open their campaign on Friday, August 2, against Mozambique at 9:30am (6:30am Ghana Time) at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) ground, before facing off with host Tanzania on Sunday, August 4 at the same time and same grounds.
They will wrap up their group phase of the qualifiers against rivals Nigeria on Tuesday, August 6, also at the same time and same venue.
With Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Botswana and Malawi also to battle it out in Group A, top two in each group will play semis on Friday, August 9, while third place and finals also tales place on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
The last time Ghana qualified from such a stage was in 2016, when Ghana swoop all accolades aside winning the ultimate trophy after beating Nigeria in the finals in Benoni, South Africa. The Ghana Cricket Association is however ensuring that this team brings more laurels as the 2016 team did and qualified to the Division 1.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey
