Cricket: Six new players in squad for 2024 World Cup qualifiers

Six cricketers are on the verge of making their national team debut after they were Tuesday named in the 18-team preliminary squad for the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division One qualifiers.

The squad will further be whittled down to 14 players ahead of the July 21 to 30 event in Tanzania.

Thirty eight players from Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa were named in the provisional squad that has since May 9 been training for the last round of the World Cup qualifiers.

The new players are Yuvraj Bhatyani (batter and medium pace bowler), Stian Smith (batter), Krish Haria (batter and spinner), Allan Kibabi (batter and medium pace bowler), Neel Doshi (batter and medium pace bowler) and Hassan Lijodi (batter and spinner).

Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Namibia are the other countries that will compete in the qualifiers, whose winner will clinch the sole ticket to the World Cup that will be held in Sri Lanka.

Kenya progressed to the ICC U1-9 Cricket World Cup Africa Division One qualifiers by virtue of winning the Division Two qualifiers held in Abuja, Nigeria in October last year.

Coach Josephat Irungu's side defeated host Nigeria by 11 runs in a low scoring contest at the MKO Cricket Stadium.

Irungu said the training has been progressing well with the newcomers impressing. Since most of the players are still in school, the training has been taking place every evening from Tuesday to Friday. Weekends have been busier for them since apart from training, they also play friendly matches with local teams.

Irungu said that they will continue with the schedule until they will enter residential camp.

Cricket Kenya Development Director Thomas Odoyo and the chairperson for the selection committee Alfred Njuguna have been overseeing the process.

Meanwhile, the national men’s senior team will be in action for the first time this year from June 9 to 20 when Kenya hosts the Continent Cup Twenty20 Africa at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Nigeria, Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda are the other countries that will take part.

The team was last in action in November last year when they triumphed in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa “A” qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda.

Under-19 squad

1. Brian Likavu (WK) - Kenya Kongonis Cricket Club
2. Darsh Panchani - Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj - Bat
3. Raj Manji - Sikh Union Sports Club - Bat
4. Yash Gohil (WK) - Nairobi Gymkhana Sports Club - WK/ Bat
5. Vishil Patel- Ruaraka Sports Club - Leg spin/ Bat
6. Vaibhav Naresh - Stray Lions Cricket Club - Medium Pace/ Bat
7. De a n Omondi - Stray Lions Cricket Club - Medium Pace
8. Stian Smith - Nairobi Gymkhana Sports Club - Bat
9. Yuvraj Bhatyani - Nairobi Gymkhana Sports Club - Bat/ Medium Pace
10. Krish Haria - Swamibapa Sports Club - Bat/ Spin
11. Ken Mwangi - Obuya Cricket Academy - Medium Pace
 12. Allan Kibabi - Kenya Kongonis Cricket Club - Medium Pace/ Bat
13. Neel Doshi - Nairobi Gymkhana Sports Club - Medium Pace/ Bat 14. Saavir Karani - Obuya Cricket Academy - Medium Pace
15. Arnav Patel - Nairobi Gymkhana Sports Club - Off spin
16. Hitendra Sanghani - Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj - Left arm spin/ Bat
17. Vatsal Shah - Mombasa Sports Club- Left arm China
18. Hassan Lijodi - Pirates Cricket Club - Bat /Spin