By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

THE Zambia Cricket Union has picked a 24-member provisional squad to participate in the Africa qualifiers to be staged in Lusaka for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup.
Releasing the names in Lusaka yesterday, ZCU president Reuben Chama said the team selected was the best there was in the country and was confident the players would make the grade and qualify to the ICC World Cup finals to be hosted in Bangladesh.
Zambia will be hosting the qualifiers from August 9  to 17 in Lusaka.
Chama said the selectors had done a perfect job and that the 24 players were of top quality and would be going into camp soon.
He said apart from the 24 strong players, there was another set of eight ineligible player picked to help in the squad in training.
“As per ICC and tournament rules, we have picked 24 players that were born on or after 1st September 1996. The selectors have done a good job but we have also added eight players who are either overage or not eligible by selection criteria,” he said.
ICC has a stringent way of selecting players for the under-19 and can leave out a player for not featuring his entire junior cricket in the member country despite being an under-19.
The squad has four spinners, who in May this year attended a special spinners’ training camp in Benoni, South Africa to get them in fine shape for the qualifiers.
Chetan Reddy, Kanswe Omala, Chimya Chilekwa and Tristan Guy De Wet are the four spinners while Nchanga batsman Usher Simwinga has also made the team.
The team has 13 players from Lusaka and 11 from five Copperbelt towns.
The full squad has David Mawila, Abraham Kosita and Rajab Kamwendo from O-Backs, Ayush Patel and Chetan Reddy from Scorchers, Patrick Mwelwa and Kebby Kapula of Woodlands Stars and Mario Nithyanath of Southern Spice.
Lusaka’s contingent has Misheck Malama and Jonathan Chisembele from Nkwazi, Tristen de Wet from Bush Pig, Mupeta Mwelwa from Kabwata Strikers and Francis Mutale.
The Copperbelt-based players are the Nkana pair of Lucky Lubinga and William Chota with Nchanga contributing Levy Mwila and Usher Simwinga, while Mufulira has Obbrey Lwando and Boniface Siasipa in the team.
The rest are Musonda Yambayamba and Kanswe Omala  from Luanshya A, while Luanshya B has contributed James Chembo and Chimya Chilekwa with Karrison Kanina coming from Kanini in Ndola.
Those picked to help out in training are Mohib Patel, Steven Museba, Naeem Valee, Chris Hobson, Michael Kruger, Tian Pieterse, Pride Zimba and Azhar Haveliwala.