CRICKET TEAM IN RWANDA FOR QUALIFIERS
Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) senior men’s team yesterday left for Rwanda to compete in the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) regional T20 tournament qualifiers for the ACA top seven (7) finals to be held next year.
Eight (8) teams will be divided into two groups, A and B and a round robin format will be used with the top two teams qualifying for the ACA finals where Zimbabwe, Namibia and Uganda already lie in wait, and other two finalist will come from another regional qualifiers.
The ACA top 7 finals will also provide at least two teams to qualify for the Cricket World Cup and BCA team have also set their sights on a possible maiden appearance at the cricket world finals.
.Speaking to Sun Sport before their departure on Tuesday, team coach Joseph Angara said that they have been preparing well and expressed his optimism that they can win the tournament.
“We know it is a huge challenge but we are positive, we have worked hard, we have had enough preparations. We played in Limpopo, South Africa, we also had ACA Top 8 finals in Benoni where we reached the semi-finals and also travelled to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to play against Tusker team and we did well, so we are mentally and physically prepared for the tournament,” Angara shared.
BCA Chairman Sumod Damoda previously reiterated that the main objective of the T20 top 8 finals was to help the teams to prepare for the ICC T20 mens’ world cup qualifiers begins in Rwanda next week.
While in South Africa for the T20 top 8 finals, Angara’s team felt hard-done by the fact that some of their teammates could not join them in Limpopo owing to challenges pertaining to their travelling documents, the coach is however happy that this time around he will have some of his star players back with the team albeit not all.
“It is a positive feeling to have them back, although there is still two who are left as they are writing their exams and they could not make it. The group that we are with now has done well and I have full confidence in everyone and am positive they are going to perform,” he said.
Angara further acknowledged the support from the BCA adding that at the beginning of this year seven (7) of the players were given contracts which is a great motivation and a positive move going forward. The preparations we have had show that there is commitment from the
association to propel this team to greater heights.”
Captain of the team Karabo Motlhanka, who has been with the team for over 10 years now, echoed the sentiments of his coach and said that a top two finish is what they are targeting at the tournament.
“We’ve had a very good year, we have played a lot of games together as a team. At the same stage last year going to Rwanda
we had played only six (6) games but this time around we have played close to 20 games so there is a lot more confidence in the team than last year. Our guys who were not in South Africa are now with the team and we have a complete team going into this tournament. We are motivated to do well more especially that there is also a chance to qualify for the cricket world cup so we are positive,” Motlhanka concluded.