Zak Tribe earns batting award as Jersey win Challenge League A

Jersey have won Cricket World Cup Challenge League A and secured a second successive appearance in the qualifier play-off, with Zak Tribe collecting the best-batter award for the competition's final round. BBC Sport reported that the island side finished five points ahead of runners-up Kuwait after completing the group last week, keeping their 2027 World Cup qualification campaign alive.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCCwuWYExHo

Tribe's contribution included his highest international score, 150 in the victory over Papua New Guinea. The 25-year-old all-rounder also scored 65 against hosts Kenya and 53 against Qatar, while taking nine wickets across the five matches. His individual award was accompanied by another for Jersey, with team-mate Josh Lawrenson named the final round's best player.

Speaking to BBC Radio Jersey, Tribe said he believed the team were performing at a higher standard than at any previous point. He pointed to their repeat qualification as evidence of greater consistency and said the players had continued to improve since Jersey competed at the same play-off level in Namibia in 2023. They did not advance beyond that stage on that occasion.

The final round also brought a successful partnership between Tribe and his younger brother Asa, who featured in Jersey's first three matches. The pair added 133 runs together in the win over Kenya. Asa plays for Glamorgan and England Lions, and Zak said his brother's experience in county and franchise cricket had given the Jersey players another perspective on building innings and making decisions while batting.

Jersey's next qualifying stage will take place in Nepal in December, with matches carrying one-day international status. The eight-team tournament will send its top four sides into the final round of qualification for the 2027 World Cup. Alongside Jersey, the field comprises Kuwait, Nepal, Italy, Canada, Uganda, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates.

Tribe acknowledged the difficulty of progressing further. Kuwait beat Jersey during the latest Challenge League round, while the islanders lost all four preparation matches when they hosted Nepal and the UAE in July. He said those encounters had provided lessons about the demands of that level, while identifying a finish in the top half of the play-off standings as Jersey's objective.