TANZANIA's senior men's cricket team has opened its account in the second leg of the 2025 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League B on the wrong foot, losing to Italy by eight wickets at the Hong Kong Cricket Club in Hong Kong last weekend.

A Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) official stated that it was not the start the senior national squad, also known as 'Warriors in Blue', aimed at in the opening match against Italy, as they faced a tough challenge on the field.

Tanzania took the crease first and Italy’s disciplined bowling restricted the former to 94/10 in 25.5 overs, with notable contributions coming from Sivaraj Selvaraj (28 off 43) and skipper Kassim Nassor (18 off 35).

Italy's bowlers, led by Crishan Kalugamage (3-17), were clinical in their efforts to keep Tanzania in check.

The Italian cricketer was ably assisted by fellow bowlers Grant Stewart (3-28) and Gareth Berg (2-2), who compounded the misery for Tanzania's batting unit. 

Italy chased the modest target in 13.5 overs, with skipper Marcus Campopiano (44 off 41) leading their charge.

Anthony Mosca, who grabbed 19 runs, and Wayne Madsen (13 runs) successfully guided the batting squad to the seemingly smooth chase.

Tanzania’s bowlers, Khalid Amiri (1-24) and Sivaraj Selvaraj (1-45) managed to pick up two wickets for the East African nation's squad.

While the results hardly went in Tanzania's favour, the TCA official noted that every match is a learning experience, and the team remains focused on the road ahead.

He was adamant that much as it was a challenging start, it was just the beginning of the tournament, and the 'Warriors in Blue' were determined to regroup, refocus, and come back stronger.

Every setback, he stated, is a step toward a comeback, and the association stands behind the team all the way.

In last year's ICC Men's CWC Challenge League B - the first leg of the qualifying phase- in Kampala, Tanzania went down to Italy by nine wickets through the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method.

The ICC Men's CWC Challenge League B second leg last weekend outcome means Tanzania needs to emerge victorious in all of the matches the squad has yet to honour to stand a chance of qualifying for the following phase.

Garnering a win in the forthcoming fixtures is certainly a tricky task for Tanzania, considering that none of the opponents is a pushover.