Windhoek: Nuristani Omarzai’s five-wicket haul combined with Faisal Shinozada’s half-century helped Afghanistan to a nine-wicket victory over Tanzania in the 18th match of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026.
Tanzania captain Laksh Bakrania opted to bat first as his team’s batting unit collapsed for 85 runs in 36 overs.
Middle-order batsman Augustino Muwamele top-scored for the African side with a cautious 14 off 49 balls, while Rehan Ahtif (11) and Bakrania (10) were the other two to score double figures against a ruthless Afghanistan bowling attack.
Umarzai led Afghanistan’s bowling with sensational bowling figures of 5/9 from seven overs, followed by Usairullah Niazhai with 2/9 for three, while Wahidullah Sadran and Qadir Stanikzai claimed a scalp each.
For his sensational bowling, Omarzai was adjudged Man of the Match.
With a simple target of winning by scoring 86 runs, the Afghanistan team reached the winning target losing only one wicket in 224 balls.
Shinozada led the way for the Asian side with a blistering 55 off 34 balls with nine fours and a six. He shared an unbeaten 62-run partnership for the second wicket with opener Osman Sadat, who scored an unbeaten 16 off 26 balls.
Right-handed opener Khalid Ahmadzai on the other hand made a significant contribution with 14 off 16 balls.
Khalid Juma took the lone wicket for Tanzania, dismissing Ahmadzai in the fifth over.
The impressive win meant Afghanistan finished top of Group D with six points from three matches, while Tanzania went out of the U19 World Cup 2026 without a win, losing all three of their group-stage games.