The national U-19 cricket team will begin their campaign in the ICC U19 World Cup Africa Division 2 qualifiers against Swaziland on Sunday at Senwes Cricket Stadium in South Africa.

Teams start arriving in South Africa today ahead of Sunday’s official kick-off of the qualifiers tournament, which will run until August 28.

The 50-over cricket tournament will be hosted at Senwes Cricket Stadium in Potchefstroom, North West Province.

On the opening day, Sunday, Rwanda will open their campaign facing Swaziland at Park 2 of the cricket facility in Potchefstroom.

The first game will see Tanzania taking on Botswana at Park 2, while the game of the day will see archrivals Ghana and Nigeria locking horns on Senwes Park 1. Also on Sunday, Lesoth will be up against Mozambique at Park 3 while Zambia face Sierra Leone at Park 4.

On Day 2 of the tournament, Rwanda will be battling Botswana on August 21, while they will face Zambia on August 23 and Sierra Leone the following day before taking on Tanzania in their last match of the preliminary round on August 25.

In the other final preliminary round fixtures, Botswana will face Zambia, Ghana – a team to watch out for in the tournament – will be up against Mozambique, Gambia taking on Nigeria while Sierra Leone will be hoping to overcome Swaziland.

The U19 Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 qualifiers have attracted eleven African countries namely; Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Nigeria, Zambia, Gambia and Sierra Leone.

The eleven youthful teams are competing for the three slots available in the top tier of U19 cricket in Africa, and the tournament will be a platform for the young talents to exhibit their skills on international stage.

The 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup will be held in South Africa between January and February. It will be its thirteenth edition and the second time to be held in South Africa.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw