IVAN Ismail starred with the bat as Tanzania gallantly booked its place in the Regional Finals of the 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifiers, thrashing St. Helena by 161 runs in the ongoing Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier B clash in Accra, Ghana on Saturday.

It was a fourth straight victory for Tanzania, which was, before yesterday's match against Ghana, leading the rest of the pack in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier B having amassed eight points and a dominant 6.705 Net Run Rate (NRR).

Tournament hosts, Ghana, have also secured qualification for the Regional Finals, given that they were, before yesterday's duel, positioned second with four victories and a 3.309 NRR.

Malawi and Seychelles were, as of Sunday, coming third and fourth, with Malawi posting a win in two outings and a loss in as many to settle for a 0.778 NRR.

Fourth-placed Seychelles came out victorious in one outing and suffered a loss in three to register a less favourable −3.045 NRR. They were slated to face Eswatini later yesterday.

Eswatini's cricketers were set to play in yesterday's fixtures whilst occupying fifth place after collecting one victory and three defeats in four fixtures to settle for a −3.983 NRR.

St. Helena was positioned at the bottom of the tournament's log without a victory and a −3.931 NRR.

In the Saturday encounter, Tanzania's cricketers made full use of their time to bat once they took the crease first- posting an imposing 236/4 in the scheduled 20 overs.

Ismail and Ajith Augastin had the most noticeable batting performance for the batting team, securing 63 runs apiece as Tanzania showcased a determination to stay in control.

Arun Yadav garnered a 29-ball 46 and Mukesh Suthar had Tanzania piling more runs, as he posted 28 runs not out, which included two fours and a six.

Joey Thomas ended up with two wickets when St.Helena fielded, battling to frustrate efforts by Tanzania to wind up their innings with a bigger score.

Tanzania's convincing showing with the bat was followed by a ruthless bowling display, as the cricketers bowled St. Helena out for 75 runs.

Jordi Henry, deployed at number three, scored 23 runs and opener, Jamie Essex, chipped in with a 14-ball 16 in what was, seemingly, a difficult innings for the British Overseas Territory's cricketers.

It was, according to the Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA), a dominant all-round performance showcased by the Tanzanian cricketers.

The 161-run victory, the TCA official pointed out, reflected complete control by the cricketers from start to finish.

In later yesterday's other clash, Malawi's cricketers- eyeing a more convincing NRR- were set to take on St Helena.

Cricketers forming the St.Helena team for the qualifiers are Cliff Richards, Nadeem Ahmed, Jamie Essex, Rhys Francis, Jordi Henry, Kirk Lawrence, Aiden Leo, Branden Leo, Dane Leo, Delroy Leo, Stefan Leo, Barry Stroud, Joey Thomas, Andrew Yon, and Jordon Yon.

The 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be the 11th edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, a biennial world cup for cricket in Twenty20 International (T20I) format, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

It will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2028. It will be the first time for New Zealand to host the event, while Australia had previously hosted the competition in 2022.

The top eight teams from the previous edition along with the 2028 hosts and the next best two to four teams (depending on the finishing positions of the hosts in the previous edition) from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings qualify directly for the tournament.

The remaining eight teams are decided by regional qualifiers. Each regional qualifier takes place in two stages, the sub-regional qualifiers and the Regional Final.