Today’s semifinal match will feature Nigeria vs. Malawi for a World Cup ticket.

The current International Cricket Council (ICC) U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier has reached the final stages, with teams competing for remaining tickets on the cricket fields of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Only the top three qualifiers are assured promotion to Division One of the series, leaving Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Kenya as the last four teams competing.

Nigeria will play Malawi in the first semifinal. Malawi advanced as a result of the last-minute withdrawals of Ghana and Mozambique, which gave them automatic qualification despite losing their sole group encounter against Kenya.

The hosts are the odds-on favorite to win the final ticket after a run of three victories, but the squad coached by Coach Daniel Gim said they are not underestimating the Southern Africans.

Speaking before to the game, Gim said that his squad will be prepared after the challenging draw with Sierra Leone on Tuesday, which Nigeria won by six runs.

“The game stretched our hitters, which was intriguing since we can now identify areas where our guys need to tighten up. They were not tested until Sierra Leone arrived after the first two games between Rwanda and Botswana. The squads we have chosen and prepared for the semifinal matchup will, however, be more fully staffed than ever before when we face Malawi.

Kenya will face Sierra Leone in the second semifinal game.

The two semifinal winners get automatic byes into the Division 1 World Cup Qualifier, while the losers must compete for the third available ticket to advance to the next round of the 2024 ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup qualifying process.

Miniechat

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