By Spy Uganda
Cricket Namibia’s busy cricket season continues unabated with the arrival of Zimbabwe and Uganda’s national women’s teams, for the Capricorn Women’s Tri-Series which starts tomorrow.
According to a Cricket Namibia press release, the tournament is aimed at improving the Capricorn Eagles’ world ranking, while a squad of 24 players that competed in seven T20 matches formed part of the selection process.
The selection process was further narrowed down to 14 players who formed part of a national training camp from 8 to 10 April and are now set to represent Namibia.
Cricket Namibia CEO Johan Muller said it was a privilege to be able to host the tournament.
“What a privilege to host the first Women’s Tri-Series in Namibia. I want to thank Capricorn for their continuous support of our female cricket programs. Capricorn is not only the naming partner to our Capricorn Eagles but also the naming partner to this Capricorn Women’s Tri-Series,” he said.
“To uplift female cricket at both grassroots and international level is one of Cricket Namibia’s strategic objectives. This Tri-Series, in which we host two of the top teams of the African continent, is an example of realizing our strategy. I want to thank Zimbabwe and Uganda for committing to this tournament. Strong relations amongst African countries are key for the development and progress of the game. We want to invite the Namibian community to support this tournament and our Capricorn Eagles,” he added.
Uganda Cricket Association CEO Martin Ondeko said they are excited about the opportunity:
“Uganda goes into the tournament hoping to improve its ranking in the Women’s T20Is from the current 19th position. As we prepare for the Women’s World T20 Qualifiers next year, the tournament provides a good platform for Uganda to gauge its progress after more than 6 months without any International Cricket. We would like to thank Cricket Namibia for giving us this opportunity and wish them all the best in the preparations”
Zimbabwe Cricket Team Manager and Coordinator, Caroline Nyamande said they will use the tournament to prepare for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers later this year and the inaugural ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup next year.
“We have a squad that blends experience and under 19s coming up the ranks. We are thankful for the invitation and are confident that our full-strength squad will deliver the fours, sixes, and all the excitement that comes with the T20 version of the game. We have a new coach Gary Brent who is eager to lead in the first series as a national team coach. We are bringing the bulk of the squad that participated at the ICC Women’s World Cup global qualifier we hosted last November.”
Cricket Namibia added that Women’s CricZone will be a broadcasting partner for the Capricorn Eagles tournament. All the games will be broadcast on Cricket Namibia’s Facebook page and will be made visible on Women’s CricZone social media platforms.
Uganda and Zimbabwe arrive in Namibia today, while the matches get underway at the CCD field in Pionierspark tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s opening matches will see Zimbabwe taking on Uganda at 09h30, while Namibia take on Zimbabwe at 14h30. Matches continue on Thursday with Namibia taking on Uganda at 09h30, while Uganda take on Zimbabwe at 14h30.
Friday is a rest day, but the action continues on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with the final scheduled to take place at 14h00 on Tuesday, 26 April.
