Going into these African qualifiers, Tanzania is one of those sides that has a real shot of changing the course of history and turning their cricket side into a more prominent one. After having made noise last time out, where they were close to qualifying and entering an initial tournament, the Tanzania side finished in 6th place despite a lower run-rate.
In a nation where this sport has recently made a massive rise and the number of fans continues growing, making a T20I World Cup could really put them at an even further position of popularity. Knowing that they ran through several teams before making this qualifying finals, this side has shown ability of not giving up and string together huge winning streaks at vital sides.
As Tanzania have recently also qualified for the U-19 World Cup during 2026, one of the biggest things about this is that they created a massive upset against the established Namibia side, which was their first time ever. A side that hopes to be eligible in playing ODI matches later on this year, it will all come down to how they perform in their upcoming tournaments and make an impact for years to come.
Head coach Mugammad Salieg Nackerdien, who was formerly a test cricketer in South Africa, has really turned this side around since being hired in April, while bringing an approach based on his own play style. With his leadership being key, captain Kassim Nassoro Mussa has been another vital impact that has helped this international side move up to 34.
Strengths: Top-Order Batting Has Slowly Been A Massive Positive For This Side
Looking at this batting side, Tanzania really poses a great threat up the order, which lets them start off innings really strongly and build on totals. Opener Arun Yadav has already looked like a superstar after his first 6 matches, since this piece has already scored 318 runs and built an average of over 60. Given that he’s scored two half-centuries during these matches, his boundary-hitting ability has been on full display as Arun has hit 15 maximums plus 36 class boundaries on either side.
Opposite him, Dhrumit Mehta is hoping to finally put together a strong performance after a slow start to his career with just a 15.14 average, while showing potential during his 30+ knock recently to help Tanzania win a match.
At one-down, K A Aijth has stayed consistent at that position and really seems to build up an innings after the opening pair is broken. As someone who has scored 181 runs during just 5 innings and has put over 45+ runs on average every match, this is someone who has also struck three 50s in quick succession.
Another one of those batsmen who doesn’t seem to get out until K A Ajith makes a massive impact, he can definitely dominate many strong bowlers, and helps newcomer Shaik Basha have more confidence. As he’s not guaranteed to play that position yet, Basha will have to build on his current 13 average for a chance to remain there and really show why Tanzania invested in him so early.
Weaknesses: Only One Real Wicket-Taking Threat In The Bowling Attack
When looking at Tanzania’s bowlers, a real question is how the unit will fare as they only have one piece who has consistently shown wicket-taking abilities. With it being veteran Ally Kimote, 76 wickets during 73 matches, his right-arm medium pace has confused a lot of batsmen and sometimes forced them to miss the ball completely. Having an economy under 7 as well, he should be the major force since no one else really proves that elite-level talent he does.
Although Laksh Bakrania has been a vital orthodox spinner during his first 11 matches with 16 wickets, more will need to be seen from him since he’s not had to face any challenging opponents yet.
As he does sometimes tend to lose control of how the ball is swinging in or out, it is something he will need to improve on before facing big teams in these qualifiers. Salum Jumbe, 7.39 economy, has been quite expensive during tense situations in his career, and seeing that he’s a right-handed pacer, there are times when it feels like his deliveries go much slower than those of a real pacer.
Captain Kassim Nassoro Mussa hasn’t been able to prove the off-break abilities he once had as the all-rounder has picked just a few wickets in his last several matches and now has only 47 during 71 career starts. With Raymond Francis Emmanuel and Khalidy Amiri Juma being pretty inexperienced, it will be quite important for them to try limiting their overs early on.
Opportunities: Batsmen In The Middle Really Should Have Massive Performances
With this unit having a very solid batting lineup, their middle-order has been a key reason in helping them score quickly during the back-end and keep their totals among a high range. Kassim Nassoro has been vital at that 3-down position since he’s built an 18 run average and really plays with a chip on his shoulder to finish off games. As he’s knocked two vital half-centuries during his young career, this is someone who’s also combined for 95 boundaries and is very quick between the wickets.
Having a strike rate near 100, Mukesh Suthar has also been vital, as his 76 average speaks for itself during 5 career innings. Although he only has one half-century to his name, this is someone whose smacked 11 sixes and always seems to finish at 40 not-out down the order.
Another big-time hitter is Salum Jumbe, as he’s hit 24 sixes during his 5 or 6 down position and bats at a strike rate well over 100. Scoring nearly 15-20 runs per match, his historic 76 not-out knock was one of the biggest winning moments that helped Tanzania reach this far into the tournament qualifying.
As Ally Kimote has been vital down the order too, his ability to hit the ball out of the park from his first delivery itself, makes him a very special talent that will continue trying to raise his strike rate during tension situations. Closing it out, Raymond Francis Emmanuel and Laksh Bakarnia should provide very vital runs down the order to increase their total.
Threats: The Group They Are In Seem To Pose A Ton Of Threats
This Tanzania unit’s main threat is the teams they will have to face during the group stage of these qualifiers, as all of them are full of talent. With Zimbabwe being their toughest competition, this will not be an easy matchup at all since their opponents are much more experienced and have been to the tournament many more times.
Knowing that they have to face them once, it will take an over-the-top effort for them to come out victorious, and they will have to go against another top-tier African side in Uganda. Since Uganda made it to the last World Cup and beat Zimbabwe on their way there, it will be another tough match for this Tanzania unit, while their only winnable game might be against Botswana.
Tanzania Squad: Mukesh Suthar, Raymond Francis Emmanuel, Laksh Bakarnia, Salum Jumbe, Ally Kimote, Shaik Basha, Khalidy Amiri Juma, Kassim Nassoro Mussa(C), Dhrumit Metha, K A Aijth, Arun Yadav, Amal Rajeevan, Abhik Patwa, Ivan Ismail, Mohamed Simba, Yalinde Maurice, Augustine Mwamele, Mukesh Maker
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