SOFTBALL NATIONAL TEAM DILUTED
...As consequences of the league absence are becoming apparent
The absence of the BOFINET Softball league is likely to affect the performances and preparations of national senior men and under 23 teams in the crucial African World Cup qualifiers slated for later this year.
The Under 23 men’s side had a mammoth task to take part in inaugural Africa qualifiers which are scheduled for South Africa. However, the under 23 qualifier dates are under revision after it was postponed from initial June slots. The senior team has additional assignment for the Men’s Softball World Cup qualifier scheduled for South Africa from the 25th-29th of August.
The games were scheduled for February but later moved to August due to the pandemic. However, the absence of the national league which is a feeder platform to the national team setup is likely to leave out some huge impact in international competitions for the softball teams. Coaches Pako Maforaga for the senior team and Meshack Bonang of the Under 23 face the risks of taking players who have been dormant.
“Those games could have been held in February but got postponed due to Covid-19.We were not ready then and as of now we are still not ready. Unfortunately, the absence of the league simply means the players are not engaged. With amateur sports you can’t depend on players to stay fit. The league becomes the most important tool to monitor players.
However, with the assistance of the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC),we may start preparing the players including the Under-23.
Now it’s a question of putting together logistics but the availability of funds is also crucial,” said Maforaga.
Botswana has been able to rub shoulders with South Africa having been the only African countries which have made it to the World Softball Championships in the past two competitions in Czech Republic and Canada respectively. Through the existence of BOFINET League, the national team has been able to do well in the past world championships which saw Botswana finishing a record 8th during 2017 Championships. And in the past, Botswana has engaged South Africa in international friendlies to prepare for these kinds of competitions. “Top of the agenda was to work on the fitness of players.
The players’ mental fitness was our concern so we had a short stint with Dr. Tshepang Tshube. Consequently,I was looking forward to a more detailed programme with him.
Our players tend to choke at international stage, not for lack of tactical awareness. The other thing was to fix and align our pitching to that of our strong opponents. They all have a type of pitching we have not adopted yet,” he said. The absence of action in local leagues such as in volleyball and football saw the national teams faltering during the Olympic and AFCON qualifiers respectively. Softball national teams face the same uncertain predicament.