Lady Chevrons shine
PROUD . . . The Lady Chevrons squad that secured passage to the T20 World Qualifiers line up before their match in Uganda yesterday
ZIMBABWE’S female cricket players, the Lady Chevrons, were once again the talk of the country yesterday, as they gave fans cause for celebration by securing a spot in the global qualifier for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The Lady Chevrons are in Uganda for the African edition of the qualifiers.
For the global qualifier, they had to make sure they got one of the two tickets allotted for the continent.
At the Entebbe Cricket Oval in Kampala, captain Marry-Anne Musonda and her team met the challenge with a clinical display that earned them a spot in the global qualifier against Namibia.
In fact, the Lady Chevrons have been a shining beacon since arriving in the East African country for the qualifiers last week.
In the first semi-final of the Africa T20
World Cup qualifiers yesterday, they maintained their excellent form throughout the competition and extended their winning streak with an 86-run victory over the Capricorn Eagles of Namibia.
That victory meant they had booked a place at the global qualifier, where they will be part of 10 teams that will battle for honours at next year’s T20 Global Qualifier.
It is from that global qualifier that two teams would then advance to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
Musonda was proud of her charges for sticking to their script in the run-up to the final.
“I am a proud captain after securing the berth at the World Cup qualifiers,” Musonda said.
She added that the triumph epitomised the exciting times being enjoyed by female cricketers. She credited her side for working as a closely knit unit.
“The team has been performing well from the group stages and I cannot ask for more. “I am a proud captain.
“We have executed everything we have spoken about in our endeavour to qualify.
“It is good that we have qualified,” she said. In yesterday’s semi-final, Zimbabwe were put to bat first, after Namibia had won the toss.
Musonda revealed that their secret weapon to winning was to capitalise on the power-play.
“We always try to manage our game as it gives us the foundation and it worked again today.”
The Lady Chevrons put up a competitive score of 150 runs in 20 overs for the loss of six wickets.
By the end of the power-play, Zimbabwe had put 41-runs on the scoreboard for the loss of one wicket.
Opener Modester Mupachikwa had the highest run contribution of the Lady Chevrons, scoring 33 off 37 deliveries with the trio of Musonda, Mugeri and Ndiraya scoring twenties. The contributions were good enough for Zimbabwe to post a competitive score.
That competitive target proved too much of an ask for Namibia.
The Lady Chevrons made light work in their bowling innings as they tore Namibia’s batting order with some clinical bowling performances.
Precious Marange, with figures of three wickets for nine runs in her allotted overs, led the Zimbabwe attack as they bowled out Namibia for 64 runs in 17 overs.
Musonda and her team have performed in stark contrast to their male counterparts — the Chevrons — who are terribly struggling with their game.