No longer are African teams (Malawi aside) stacked with 'mature' players from the subcontinent. Sierra Leone features allrounder Lasmin Lansana, who has done well in previous African tournaments, 11 players under 25 and just two over 30.

Seven of the Gambian team are under 25 and only two over 30 while Rwanda have eight players who are not yet 25. Morocco would have been the sixth team in the tournament but were reportedly stopped from proceeding further en route by Qatar immigration officials due to visa issues, necessitating a bye. Again, their team had only Arabs.

The top two teams will be promoted to Division Two.

The draw:

Saturday, October 3 - Rwanda v Gambia, Malawi v Lesotho, Sierra Leone bye

Sunday, October 4 - Sierra Leone v Gambia, Rwanda v Malawi, Lesotho bye

Monday, October 5 - Sierra Leone v Lesotho, Gambia v Malawi, Rwanda bye

Tuesday, October 6 - Sierra Leone v Malawi, Lesotho v Rwanda, Gambia bye

Wednesday, October 7 - Sierra Leone v Rwanda, Lesotho v Gambia, Malawi bye