Eagles ready to soar high in Gaborone

TIELMAN VAN LILL – The Capricorn Eagles senior women’s cricket team will depart for Botswana tomorrow for their 2022 T20 World Cup Africa qualifiers that will start on Thursday at the Botswana Cricket Association Ovals (BCAO 1 and 2) in Gaborone.

Namibia will compete in Group B against Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda, while Group A will consist of Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The team was sent off on Saturday afternoon by Johan Muller, chief executive officer of Cricket Namibia, at the Windhoek Golf and Country Club.

“A few years ago, you played hidden out of sight, but that has changed. Lately you have played more games and on national television and are sponsored by the Capricorn Group that is a great force behind women’s cricket and us.

“We got a bigger pool of players that compete for a place in the national team and that is what we need to strengthen our national cricket team. Good luck in Gaborone, make us proud and qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup,” Muller said.

“We are very excited to see how you will make us proud again, just like you did a few months ago in Rwanda. We look forward to watching the matches live, because they will be streamed live. Good luck and make us proud,” said Marlize Horn of Capricorn.

Irene van Zyl, captain of the Eagles, thanked Capricorn for making the competition possible.

“We are not going to Botswana just to compete. We want to win the qualifiers to participate in the 2022 T20 World Cup in South Africa,” she said.

“There is immense talent in our team and we believe that we as a team can achieve this milestone in Gaborone. This is the first time in women’s cricket in Namibia that something like this happens and we are going there to fly the Namibian flag high.”

The team

Irene van Zyl (captain), Yasmeen Khan (vice-captain), Kaylee van Wyk, Mekelaye Mwatile, Namusha Shiwomwenyo, Sylvia Shihepo, Wilka Mwatile, Juriene Diergaardt, Suné Wittmann, Victoria Hamunyela, Adri van der Merwe, Edelle van Zyl, Mezerly !Gorases and Kayleen Green.

The tournament will be played in a 20-over format with two groups of six and five, in a round robin. The top top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. The winner of the tournament will qualify for next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.

Group A: Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Group B: Cameroon, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

Day 1: Thursday 9 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Rwanda versus Mozambique. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Uganda vs Namibia. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Swaziland vs Botswana. 14:30 (BCAO 2) Sierra Leone vs Nigeria.

Day 2: Friday 10 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Zimbabwe vs Tanzania. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Cameroon vs Uganda. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Botswana vs Mozambique. 14:30 (BCAO 2) Namibia vs Nigeria.

Day 3: Saturday 11 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Zimbabwe vs Swaziland. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Sierra Leone vs Cameroon. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Mozambique vs Tanzania. 14:30 (BCAO 2 Nigeria vs Uganda.

Day 4: Sunday 12 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Swaziland vs Rwanda. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Botswana vs Zimbabwe.

Day 5: Monday 13 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Tanzania vs Rwanda. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Nigeria vs Cameroon. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Zimbabwe vs Mozambique. 14:30 (BCAO 2) Namibia vs Sierra Leone.

Day 6: Tuesday 14 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Swaziland vs Tanzania. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Cameroon vs Namibia. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Botswana vs Rwanda. 14:30 (BCAO 2) Uganda vs Sierra Leone.

Day 7: Thursday 16 September 9:15 (BCAO 1) Mozambique vs Swaziland. 9:30 (BCAO 2) Rwanda vs Zimbabwe. 14:15 (BCAO 1) Tanzania vs Botswana.

Day 8: Friday 17 September 9:30 (BCAO 1) semi-final 1 (B2 vs A1). 14:15 (BCAO 1) semi-final 2 (B1 vs A2).

Day 9: Sunday 19 September 14:15 (BCAO 1) final.