ICC chair Jay Shah meets Africa Cricket Association leaders in Windhoek; attends U19 WC match

New Delhi, Jan 21
International Cricket Council (ICC) chair Jay Shah met with leaders of the Africa Cricket Association in Windhoek and emphasised the ICC's commitment to expanding cricket across Africa.

He also expressed his delight at watching future stars in action during an Under-19 World Cup match at Cricket Namibia’s newly developed NCG venue.

"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," Jay Shah shared on X.

Namibia are splitting hosting duties with Zimbabwe for the ongoing U-19 World Cup. Both Zimbabwe and Namibia will host 12 group-stage matches each.

In Namibia, the action is taking place at the new Namibia Cricket Ground and the HP Oval, both in Windhoek, while in Zimbabwe, Queens Sports Club, Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Sports Club in Harare are the venues for the tournament.

Namibia hosted the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Windhoek from August 31 to September 6 last year, bringing together eight countries competing for two coveted spots at the Global Qualifier for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

Last year, Namibia’s national men’s team hosted South Africa for a historic one-off T20. Namibia made history in more ways than one during this match, as they inaugurated the new Namibia Cricket ground, faced their neighbours, South Africa, for the first time in any international format, and then secured a narrow victory by four wickets.

The FNB NCG made history by hosting matches in the 2026 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and will also host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, marking Namibia's first time hosting World Cup games.