Namibia have booked their spot at the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup after guaranteeing a top-two finish in African qualifying with a game to spare.
The Eagles secured a 58-run over Tanzania in Windhoek and sit top of the table with five wins from five after previous victories against Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.
Next year’s 20-team tournament in the United States and the West Indies will be Namibia’s third consecutive appearance at the T20 World Cup.
“We’re very proud of the boys, of Pierre de Bruyn and his coaching team and also Gerhard Erasmus, the captain of the team,” Rudie van Vuuren, president of Cricket Namibia, told BBC Sport Africa.
“The boys played professional cricket throughout, really a high standard of cricket.
“And you can see the fact that we have a professional set-up eventually makes the difference in this kind of tournament.”
The side reached the Super 12 stage as first-time qualifiers in the UAE in 2021 but then suffered a first round group-stage exit in Australia last year.
Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe remain in contention to secure second spot in the table and join Namibia at the T20 World Cup next year, with Uganda facing east African rivals Kenya on Wednesday.
Namibia, who will co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2027 alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, finish their group campaign against Nigeria on Thursday.
“It is exciting times for Namibia,” Van Vuuren added.
“We have a strong pipeline developing. We look forward to the T20 World Cup and then, building on that, the Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and obviously the 50-over World Cup in 2027.”
