By Bockarie Allieu
The Sierra Leone U-19 Women’s cricket team has declared a “must-win” approach for their remaining four matches in the ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier. After losing their first two games to Malawi and Kenya, the team has set its sights on bouncing back to secure a respectable position in the tournament.
The team attributed the losses to fatigue, as they played their first match against Malawi on the same day they arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. In that game, the captain was hit in the face by a ball while bowling and was knocked unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital, where she recovered after a few hours. Sierra Leone lost that match by eight wickets.
In their second match, they pushed Kenya but ultimately fell short, losing by 20 runs. Kenya won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a score of 126 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. In response, Sierra Leone managed 106 for six in 20 overs, falling 20 runs short of the target.
Despite the setbacks, the team remains hopeful. Their target now is to win the remaining four matches and aim for at least a third-place finish. On Saturday, they faced Eswatini at Gahanga 2 Oval in Kigali, but the result was not available at press time. After a rest day on Sunday, Sierra Leone was set to play against Lesotho today, August 26, at the same venue. They will face Botswana in the morning on August 27, followed by their final match later in the day against Mozambique.
By Friday, Sierra Leone was in fifth place with four matches left to play. The team is scheduled to depart Rwanda on August 28th, 2024.
