ICC Africa Under-19 Championships
| Administrator |
International Cricket Council African Cricket Association |
|---|---|
| Format | 50-over |
| First tournament | 2001 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin |
| Current champion |
 Namibia
|
| Most successful |
Namibia (5 titles) |
The ICC Africa Under-19 Championships are a series of regular cricket tournaments organised by the African Cricket Association (ACA) for under-19 teams from its member nations. The initial tournament was staged in 2001 but did not return until 2007. During the interim years a joint competition with the East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council was held. A second division was added in 2009 providing affiliate nations with a chance to participate. After this first edition, two teams were promoted, but since then only one team has moved between divisions. The two divisions are played at different times and in different locations. The current champions are Namibia.
The tournament also serves as qualification for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, though the number of teams progressing has varied over the years.
One of the key aspects of the African Under-19 Championships is its role in Under-19 World Cup Qualification. Before the introduction of the championship only Kenya and Namibia took part in the World Cup. However, aided by the development of international cricket during the late 90s and 2000s the possibility of holding the first African regional qualifier arose in 2001. Of the five associate nations at that time, Kenya already had automatic qualification for the 2002 U-19 World Cup due to their ODI status. As a result, the highest finisher in the inaugural competition besides Kenya would also qualify. Namibia finished in first place and so earned themselves the final World Cup space.
For the following two U-19 World Cups, the African Cricket Association and the East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council organised joint qualification competitions from which two teams would progress. In the 2003 competition, Uganda qualified alongside EAP side Papua New Guinea for the 2004 U-19 World Cup but in 2005 two African nations, Namibia and Uganda made it through to the 2006 finals.
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