ZIMBABWE women’s national cricket team thrashed Botswana by 115 runs in their second match of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier Africa in Uganda.
The win, their second in the tournament, may just be enough to book them a place in the semi-finals on the back of a healthy run rate regardless of whatever happens in their final Group A match. Zimbabwe opened their final Qualifiers campaign with a 62-run win over Kenya on Saturday and take on Tanzania tomorrow in their final Group A encounter.
Star all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu, who recovered in time for the Lady Chevrons’ second match yesterday after concussion fears when she collided with the Kenyan bowler in the tournament opener on Saturday, was influential with both bat and ball.
The youthful all-rounder’s lucky number in yesterday’s match was 17 as she scored a gritty 31 runs from 17 balls and went on to take two wickets for 17 runs in her four-over spell to be named player-of-the-match against the Stanley Timoni-coached Botswana side.
“Kelis had a collision with the bowler and was suspected of having a concussion,” Gary Brent, Lady Chevrons coach told NewsDay Sport ahead of the Botswana tie.
“She has recovered well and is hopefully fit for the game tomorrow (yesterday).”
Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda elected to bat after winning the toss and was the first one to exit the crease for 28 runs from 18 balls after being caught by Florence Samanyika off three-wicket hauler Goabilwe Matome inside 4.1 overs.
Matome made another inroad in her next over, this time claiming the scalp of the experienced Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano who she had caught by Shameelah Mosweu for 10 runs after 6.2 overs to leave Zimbabwe on 52/2.
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She was back again with a third successive wicket in her third over as the 24-year-old pacer took the priceless wicket of Ashley Ndiraya in similar fashion as Mugeri-Tiripano’s dismissal.
Zimbabwe opener, Modester Mupachikwa, kept rebuilding the innings with her conservative batting approach and was just three runs shy of a half century at the end of the innings. Mupachikwa was not out on 47 from 44 balls together with Chiedza Dhururu who scored an unbeaten 16 runs from 13 balls.
Faced with a mountain to climb, Botswana decided to go into their run chase to play all the 20 overs regardless of the score they would make but were dismissed all out for a measly 47 runs from 17.4 overs.
Loreen Tshuma was the star of the show with three wickets for six runs from four overs so did Nyasha Gwanzura with two wickets for just four runs in 1.4 overs. However, the individual player of the match gong went to Ndhlovu who dodged a potential concussion bullet to play in the match.
