NAMIBIA’S senior women’s national team intends to entertain and have fun at the upcoming Kwibuka T20 tournament in Rwanda, says captain Irené van Zyl.
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Following a depressing year away from international scene due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Eagles are keen to make a statement in East-Central Africa.
“It’s a relief you know. We were stuck due to Covid-19 over the last year, we couldn’t go anywhere and no international cricket. So, we’re really excited and ready to get out there and start playing for a change,” Van Zyl said during yesterday’s send-off reception hosted by new chief sponsors Capricorn Group in Windhoek.
Along with the hosts, Namibia are one of five African nations that will feature in the annual memorial cricket tourney which starts in Kigali on Sunday. Nigeria, former champions Uganda and Botswana complete the line-up.
To mitigate the Covid-19 threat, the teams will be placed in a bio-bubble for the duration of the competition.
“We need to focus on taking it game by game. You’re not in the final already when you play your first game; you put your processes in motion and take it from there,” she said of her side’s ambition at the six-day event.
“We want to play a fearless brand of cricket. Women’s cricket is not a boring sport any more. So, if we just go through our paces and execute properly, then I think it will go well for us.”
Reports from Rwanda suggest that the hosts have identified the debutant Eagles as the main threat for honours.
“Namibia is a very good challenge for Rwanda because they have that experience of playing at the world cup in 2019. It’s always a good challenge when you are playing against teams that played in the World Cup because of the experience they bring.
“Not every team goes to the world cup, you need to be good enough to play such a big tournament,” Rwanda Cricket Association [RCA] secretary general Julius Mbaraga told Times Sport earlier this week.
RECOGNISING WOMEN IN SPORT
Reflecting on the new sponsorship from the Capricorn Group, Van Zyl said it was recognition for their effort.
Details of the deal will be made public when the team returns from Rwanda. Broadly, Capricorn entered into an agreement with Cricket Namibia on becoming the main sponsor of women’s cricket with specific focus on the national women’s team. The endorsement also envelopes girls’ festivals and a school league to further develop girls programmes.
“We feel very honoured to have you on board and for recognising women in sport. Obviously we’re going to try our best to ensure this becomes a long partnership,” said Van Wyk.
Capricorn Group executive for brand and corporate affairs Marlize Horn added that backing women’s cricket was a no-brainer given the commendable strides they have made over the years.
“You have proven yourselves. You are ranked 27th globally and third in Africa, which is an amazing achievement,” she said.
“I really hope that through this sponsorship of Capricorn, you will grow and develop further, and also that you get more opportunities to participate [in international competitions],” Horn continued.
“The other reason we’re interested in becoming involved in cricket, especially women’s cricket, is their vision and strategy to make the sport available across Namibia through development programmes,” Horn explained.
“We wish you well, safe travels. We hope you have a very successful tournament and that you will fly the Namibian flag high like you always do.”