By Bockarie Allieu
FREETOWN, Aug 19 (SALONE TIMES) – The Technical committee of the Sierra Leone Cricket Association on Monday announced the final list of 14 female players to represent Sierra Leone in the upcoming ICC Female T20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Botswana.
According to the Technical Director of the Association, Gabriel Anthony, the tournament will kick-off on the 7th September 2021.
He went on that the Sierra Leone delegation will depart to Botswana on the 5th September 2021. The 14 selected players started training as a team on Tuesday at POW School oval at Kingtom in Freetown.
The Technical Director said the team will be training on the days they will have good weather as the raining is tense presently.
During the training, he said they will be concentrating on the strokes of the batting team and the bowling skills of the bowlers.
The female team started the Botswana preparation with national club league. After the national club league, the players were divided into four teams to start trials for the selection of the final list of players.
He though said if the possibility arises, they will add two more players to round it up to 16 players.
The two players, he said will be standby players incase a player is tested positive in the COVID test during the tournament and they will step in.
The head coach of the team Sarah Johnson said she is satisfied with the team they selected. She went on that the team is balance and good enough to win the tournament.
Sarah said that majority of the players are not new to the tournament as they have represented Sierra Leone in different international competitions.
Sarah said they have been following the preparation of their opponents and said they have played against most of the players in the various teams they will be facing. The last time, she said they took part in international tournament in Botswana they came second. This time around, she said the team is in high spirit to clinch the champion trophy and qualify to the next stage of the ICC Female T20 World Cup tournament.
Among the 14 selected players 10 of them are all-rounders. The 10 players, she said can bat well and bowl well. She went on that what the need for the players now is the financial motivation from the government with this she said the sky will be their limit in Botswana.
She appealed to the nation to always remember them in their prayers as with God nothing is impossible.
The players assured the nation that winning laurels for Sierra Leone has always been part of them and this one will not be an exemption.
