Day one of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup Africa Division 1 Qualifier ends in a stalemate for Namibia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania as heavy rain interrupted proceedings, Mr Musa Ehizoje Bodie, the Nigerian Cricket Federation public relations officer reported in an online interview.
After 5 hours of rain on Sunday, the umpires had to call off the games as all 4 teams shared the spoils to record 1 point each on the qualification table. Bragging rights are still intact but a win for any of the teams would have been ideal, though it’s hard to say who would have been smiling or sweating at the end of the day.
Point Sharing in Cricket has been a traditional practice against rescheduling matches as observed in football. It is believed that the time and duration of the matches is the main factor responsible for this tradition, as an average international Cricket match takes between 3 – 5 hours.
On the flip side of events, the West African teams will have a chance to go top of the table on Monday if weather permits as Nigeria and Sierra Leone resumes the arch rivalry that exists between them for decades.
Nigeria triumphed against Sierra Leone when they last met in Abuja during the Division 2 qualifier in 2022 and will look to maintain that result on Monday. The Kickoff time for this all-important clash is 9:30 am.