Cricket Kenya set to host inaugural Africa T20 Continent Cup

Kenya men’s national cricket team is set to make a return to action when they take part in the inaugural Continent Cup T20 - Africa set to be played at the Nairobi Gymkhana cricket ground in Nairobi early next month.

The tournament - slated for 9-20 June, will involve six cricket federations and teams including; Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Botswana and hosts Kenya.

The Continent Cup will be organized by the International League T20 (ILT20) governing body and buys the idea of teams eager to make a mark at the international level.

Kenya’s latest participation in a competitive event came last year in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa A Qualifiers held in Kigali, Rwanda last November.

The Collins Obuya led side was supposed to play in the World Cup qualifiers final event in Namibia last month but failed to travel, all but ending their quest.

Uganda - the Cricket Cranes - will on the other hand be making their first T20 cricket appearance in six months having featured in December’s Tri-Nation T-20 tournament, beating Tanzania by seven runs.

Over the twelve days, all competing teams will be involved in single round robin matches that will lead to the semifinals, and eventually the finals.

Rwanda and Botswana have already named their squad of 14 players expected to grace the tournament, with Kenya and Uganda lined up to make their names known next week and Thursday this week respectively.

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The tournament adds to the already increasing amount of T20 internationals being played in the region through International Cricket Council (ICC) regional qualification pathway events towards Men’s T20 World Cup and Africa Cricket Association (ASA) T20 Africa Cup pathway events.

Continent Cup T20 – Africa Schedule

June 09: Kenya vs Botswana (Scorecard); Nigeria vs Rwanda

June 10: Tanzania vs Uganda (Scorecard); Nigeria vs Kenya

June 11: Uganda vs Nigeria (Scorecard); Kenya vs Tanzania

June 12: Tanzania vs Botswana (Scorecard); Rwanda vs Uganda

June 14: Rwanda vs Tanzania (Scorecard); Uganda vs Botswana

June 15: Botswana vs Nigeria

June 16: Kenya vs Rwanda (Scorecard); Nigeria vs Tanzania

June 17: Rwanda vs Botswana (Scorecard) Uganda vs Kenya

June 19: Semifinal 1 and Semifinal 2

June 20: Final

Additional reporting by Tabby Nashipae.