Women cricketers tumble at 8 Nations Tourney

Malawi Under-19 women cricket team failed to make its first international appearance count during the Eight Nations Women’s T-20 Cricket Tournament in Gaborone, Botswana after registering losses in all their three fixtures.

The three-day contest ended on Monday when the junior national team finished last after suffering defeats to Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.

Against Zambia, Malawi batted first to make a total of 67 runs in the entire 20-overs, but their opponents chased down the score in just 17-overs.

In their second game, Malawi seemed to have gained ground and came close to winning the match after scoring 116 runs in 20-overs. Mozambique struggled to chase it in 19.1-overs with a wicket in hand.

They signed off with an encounter against South Africa, who batted first to score 150 runs in 20-overs. In reply, Malawi made a paltry 68 runs to lose by 82 runs.

“Being the only country to participate in the women tournament for the first time, we played well and we have a chance to improve if given a chance to play more cricket games,” said the team’s assistant coach Robert Kanyandula.

Nevertheless, it was not all gloom for the Malawi squad as it produced Lydia Dimba as the best player in a match against Mozambique, where she made an individual score of 35 runs and claimed two wickets. Malawi was also named as a team with the spirit of the game for being well-behaved during the entire event.

Namibia won the tournament with unbeaten run after outclassing the hosts Botswana in the final by nine wickets. On their way to glory, they beat Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, according to The Namibian.