Zambia beat Lesotho by seven wickets with 74 balls to spare in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group C at the Nigeria Cricket Federation Oval 2 in Abuja on 23 October 2026. Player of the match Zahirbhai Patel took 4/4 from three overs as Lesotho were bowled out for 58, and Zambia reached 61/3 in 7.4 overs.
How It Unfolded
Lesotho won the toss and chose to bat first, but only Mohmed Duvesh Patel found any rhythm. He made 38 off 32 balls with four fours and two sixes, while Chachole Tlali added 8 off 14 balls and Ajaz Patel 7 off 23. No other batter reached double figures.
Zahirbhai Patel did the early damage with 4/4, and Javid Patel matched his four wickets with 4/11 from 3.4 overs. Ismail Kara took 1/7 from two overs, Ayaz Dadabhai conceded six runs from his two, and Inshaf Farook was run out as Lesotho folded for 58.
Zambia needed 59 and went after the target from the start. Ismail Kara struck three fours in a brisk 12 off 8 balls, and Zahirbhai Patel followed his spell with 10 off 10. Javid Patel fell lbw for a first-ball duck, but Jakir Patel (22 not out off 17 balls) and Vasmiakram Chand (14 not out off 10 balls) each hit a six and finished the chase with 74 balls remaining.
For Lesotho, Ts'episo Chaoana took 2/19 in three overs, including a maiden, and Inshaf Farook took 1/16 from two.
The Oracle's Call
The CricMind Oracle locked Zambia as favourites at 72% to Lesotho's 28% before the toss, and the call was correct. Zambia went in rated 971 (55th) against Lesotho's 831 (94th), and the margin bore that gap out. The full Oracle call shows the factors behind the pick, and every result in the group is on the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier Group C hub.
Source: Scorecard and the Oracle call.