Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s men’s cricket team is continuing its preps for the ICC Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier through a four-team tournament hosted in Gaborone.
The ongoing Men’s T20 Championship Cup is progressing “smoothly” as the men’s national team intensifies preparations for the upcoming ICC Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier, the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) has said.
The tournament – which is being held in collaboration with the Gaborone Cricket Club (GCC), is part of the build-up for the Baggy Blues, Botswana’s national men’s cricket team, who are set to compete in the African qualifier finals in Zimbabwe at the end of September.
Tournament structure
The four-team tournament features the Baggy Blues (sponsored by Bank of Baroda) competing against three select sides formed by GCC with input from the national team coach.
The other teams are Gabs Gladiators (sponsored by Danone), Pula Predators (sponsored by Minjex Pty Ltd), and Royal Blitz (sponsored by Northern Fixtures).
All matches are being held at the BCA Ovals A and B, located behind the National Stadium in Gaborone, where entry is free. Games are played on weekends from 17 August until 13 September.
Mixed results so far
After three rounds of play, the Baggy Blues and Gabs Gladiators have registered two wins from three matches. Pula Predators and Royal Blitz have each won one match from three games.
Speaking in a brief telephone interview, BCA Development Officer, Vusimuzi Zikhale, said the tournament is on track to meet its objectives.
“Everything is going well, so far so good,” he said. “We like what we are seeing and hope it will prepare our team well for the upcoming competition in Zimbabwe.”
Fans encouraged to attend
Zikhale sees the competition as an opportunity for fans to engage with the sport and show support for the national side. “We invite cricket lovers and supporters of sports in general to enjoy some competitive games and to support this initiative,” he said.
The tournament follows the Baggy Blues’ two-week training tour to the Karnataka State Cricket Association in Bengaluru, India which ended on 14 August.
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