By Bockarie Allieu
The Sierra Leone U-19 Women’s national cricket team is set to compete in Group A of the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier. They will face host country Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, and Eswatini. Group B includes Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Ghana, Cameroon, and Lesotho. All participating countries will arrive in Rwanda on Monday, August 19, 2024.
On Tuesday, the teams will engage in practice sessions, team captain photo shoots, and a press briefing. The tournament, which will determine Africa’s representative at the ICC U-19 World Cup, kicks off on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, with three matches at three venues. In the opening match, Sierra Leone will play against Mozambique at Gahanga 1 Oval in the afternoon. Nigeria will face Eswatini at Gahanga 2 Oval at 9:00 AM, while Uganda will compete against Kenya in an East Africa derby at IPRC Kigali Oval.
Sierra Leone’s schedule continues with a match against Nigeria in a West African derby at IPRC Kigali Oval on Thursday, August 22, 2024. They will rest on match day 3 and play against Eswatini on match day 4 at Gahanga 2 Oval. Sierra Leone will then face the host country on match day 5 at Gahanga 1 Oval in the morning. On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, match day 6, Sierra Leone will battle Uganda at Gahanga 2 Oval in the afternoon. All teams will rest on Thursday, August 29, 2024, before Sierra Leone plays their last group stage match against Kenya at IPRC Kigali Oval in the morning.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners competing in the final to determine Africa’s representative at the ICC Women’s World Cup.
The head coach of the Junior Ladies Patriots acknowledged the tournament’s toughness but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to perform well. He emphasized their focus on improving batting skills, aiming for aggressive play to score runs faster. The final 14-player list will be announced soon, and the team will commence intensive training. They are scheduled to depart Sierra Leone on Sunday, August 18, 2024, and arrive in Rwanda the following day.
