TANZANIA's senior cricketers have had their hopes of making it to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off go up in smokes, having lost to Uganda by 59 runs in the 2025 ICC Men's CWC Challenge League B clash in Hong Kong on Saturday.

A Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) officer stated it was a tough loss for Tanzania, nicknamed 'Warriors in Blue', now battling to hold on to their place in the showdown.

Tanzania staged a strong bowling effort to restrict Uganda to 148 runs in 41.1 overs, once the former had won the toss and elected to field in the tie at the Mission Road ground, Mong Kok.

Sixty-three runs posted by Raghav Dhawan became the standout display for Uganda, which consequently boosted its dominance over Tanzania with the Saturday victory.

Dinesh Nakrani chipped in with 23 runs for the batting team to have them stay within reach of a respectable figure.

Tanzania's seasoned pacer Ally Mpeka had a scintillating performance for the bowling squad, finishing with 4-20 in 8.1 overs.

The squad's other bowler, Sivaraj Selvaraj, equally played a part in seeing to it that the opponents ended with a manageable total, having notched 2-23 and a 2.87 economy rate.

Needing 149 runs to grab their first victory, Tanzania's cricketers were bowled out for 89 runs, falling short by 59 runs.

The senior national cricketers' batting, overall, could not live up to expectations, as they could hardly stay long at the crease.

Opening batsman Arshaan Jassani turned out to be the player with a significant contribution in the otherwise frustrating outing for the batting unit.

The cricketer garnered 23 runs, helping Tanzania reach 52-5 upon his dismissal in the 17th over of their batting time. 

There were further encouraging two digits notched by skipper Kassim Nassor (16 runs) and Akhil Anil (17 runs) in the tie bringing together East African contenders with contrasting fortunes.

Uganda's Juma Miyagi ended up with the most impressive figures, having posted 6-17 and a 2.08 economy rate when the team fielded.

The bowler's stellar game significantly contributed to Tanzania's failure to get down to a successful chase.

He was, in the end, voted as the Player of the Match for his heroics.

The TCA officer said it turned out to be a missed opportunity for Tanzania, but the team will look to regroup for the final match.

Tanzania were scheduled to bring their stint in the showdown to an end the following day, locking horns with Singapore at the Kowloon Cricket Club, Kowloon.

The East African nation's team had, until Saturday, not secured victory in the six-team tournament, with only one tie left.

The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup qualification is an ongoing process by which teams will qualify for the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

A series of competitions will determine which teams will take part in the tournament.

The eight top-ranked teams in the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings, along with the 2027 hosts, will automatically qualify for the tournament.

The CWC Challenge League Play-off served as a relegation tournament, allowing new teams from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings to enter the qualification cycle.

The 13th to 28th placed teams from the previous cycle, along with the four teams that advanced from the Challenge League Play-off, entered the 20-team qualification cycle to compete for the remaining four spots in the World Cup.

The next two teams in the ODI rankings (excluding the teams already qualified) will directly qualify for the CWC Qualifier.

The remaining 20 sides are divided into two leagues, the CWC League 2 (eight teams) and the CWC Challenge League (12 teams).

Based on the results of the leagues, teams will either directly qualify for the CWC Qualifier, be eliminated from the World Cup qualification, or advance to the CWC Qualifier Play-off through which they could qualify for the CWC Qualifier.

The Qualifier Play-off will also determine promotion and relegation between the two leagues.

Eight teams will take part in the Qualifier Play-off, the bottom four teams from League 2, along with the top two teams apiece in Groups A and B of the Challenge League.

The top four teams from this tournament progress to the CWC Qualifier.

The CWC Qualifier will feature 10 teams in total; the 11th and 12th ranked teams, the top four teams from League 2, and the top four teams from the qualifier play-off.

 The top four teams from this tournament will qualify for the ICC Ment Cricket World Cup.