ICC Chairman Jay Shah meets Africa Cricket Association leaders, attends Under-19 Cricket WC 2026 match
Windhoek, January 21
International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah met cricket leaders from the Africa Cricket Association in Windhoek as the ICC continues its efforts to grow and support the sport across the African continent.
He also attended an ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 match at the Namibia Cricket Ground, the new venue of Cricket Namibia, where he watched young players in action, according to an ICC release.
Sharing his thoughts on X, Jay Shah posted, "A productive day in Windhoek meeting with cricket leaders from the Africa Cricket Association as @ICC looks to grow and support the sport across the continent. I also enjoyed seeing future stars of the game at the #U19worldcup match at @CricketNamibia1's terrific new NCG venue."
Namibia and Zimbabwe are co-hosting the ongoing U-19 Cricket World Cup, with 12 group-stage matches each. This is a significant milestone for Namibia, especially after hosting South Africa for a historic one-off T20 match last year, showcasing their growing cricket presence.
Adding more to it, Namibia came up with a breathtaking performance to stun South Africa by four wickets in a last-ball T20I thriller, notching a historic maiden win against the ICC full member at Windhoek.
This also marked the official opening of the Namibia Cricket Ground (NCG), which is co-hosting the ICC U19 Men's World Cup and will host the ICC Men's World Cup in 2027.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Investing in associate nations is crucial. Namibia beating South Africa in that T20 was an incredible story. These U-19 tournaments are where future superstars are born. Hope to see more such initiatives.
Jay Shah is doing good work, but I hope the BCCI and ICC also focus on improving our own domestic cricket structure. Sometimes we focus so much on global expansion that our grassroots suffer. Just a thought.
Amazing to see cricket's reach expanding! Namibia's historic win against SA must have been epic. The passion in these emerging nations is real. More power to them! 👏
Hosting a World Cup match is a big deal for any nation, let alone a 2027 Men's WC match. This will do wonders for cricket in Namibia. Good step by ICC.
The U-19 World Cup is always exciting. Saw some highlights from Namibia - the talent is raw but promising. Hope they get more exposure and tours from bigger teams.
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