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The past few years in Zimbabwe have seen women taking the lead in team events on the international sports scene.
They have qualified for the Olympics and played in World Cup tournaments, relegating men’s teams to a shed.
If all goes well, Zimbabwe might have not less than two women’s teams representing the nation at World Cup competitions next year.
A few weeks back, the nation was celebrating the netball team for qualifying for their second Netball World Cup appearance after claiming a bronze medal at a qualifying tournament in South Africa.
The drums will be beating again tomorrow when the women’s cricket team plunge into their own battle for a World Cup slot.
The eight-team qualifying tournament is taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the top two at the end of the campaign will grab tickets to the finals to be held in South Africa early next year.
Zimbabwe have been placed in Group B along with Papua New Guinea, Thailand and hosts UAE.
The other group comprises the US, Scotland, Ireland and Bangladesh.
The Zimbabwe women’s cricket team has never qualified for a cricket World Cup, whether T20 or ODI. This tournament in UAE presents a big opportunity for history to be written.
The parent association, Zimbabwe Cricket, should be credited for transforming the women’s game in the last few years.
The presence of Hamilton Masakadza as director of cricket was a master-stroke.
The reforms introduced in the last two years have benefited both men and women’s games. Playing opportunities for girls and women were boosted following the establishment of the Women’s T20 Cup and the Fifty50 Challenge.
In the past, ZC was rightly criticised for concentrating more on men’s cricket without paying proper attention to the development of the women’s game.
But a lot of domestic cricket, coupled with international matches, have been played in the last two years despite the Covid-19 disruptions.
The two tournaments gave a fresh impetus to ZC’s efforts to grow and strengthen women’s cricket throughout the country.
The pool of players has widened and it is refreshing to note the presence of 16-year-old Kelis Ndhlovu in the T20 World Cup qualifying squad currently in Abu Dhabi.
The women’s team has been camping in UAE for the past 10 days for the final leg of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier preparations.
Another round of applause for Zimbabwe Cricket for high level organisation and comprehensive programme for preparations.
The side this week competed in a Quadrangular series that also involved USA, Thailand and hosts UAE.
They won all their games and they had another date with Scotland last night in the final preparatory game.
Zimbabwe Cricket have provided resources and opportunities for head coach Gary Brent and his charges to make sure they are well prepared for the qualifier.
The team went to Namibia earlier this year where they featured in a T20 triangular series featuring the hosts and Uganda.
And as the World Cup Qualifier drew closer, they had a successful tour of India last month, where they set up a two-week training camp and played a number of practice games.
They then travelled to South Africa and played South Africa Emerging Women in a five-match T20 series. Zimbabwe won the series 4-1 and then they left for UAE for the qualifier.
They had about 10 days to acclimatise with the conditions in the UAE, which is a key requirement for efficiency in sport.
Zimbabwe made it to the qualifier last year after winning the African qualifying tournament in Botswana.
Then, they had a brilliant run after winning all their games against regional opponents.
Over the past five years, ZC have made significant strides in women’s cricket, including, for the first time in the history of the game in Zimbabwe, giving national contracts to women players and offering allowances to non-contracted women players.
A total of 19 contracts were recently awarded, with team captain Mary-Anne Musonda, her deputy Josephine Nkomo as well as Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano in the Grade A+ category.
“As part of our commitment to the growth and development of our women’s game, we are pleased to confirm the awarding of central contracts to a talented group of 19 players,” ZC Director of Cricket Hamilton Masakadza said.
“We believe this will not only boost the morale of our players but will also allow them to fully focus on their game ahead of a crucial period for our national team, which includes participation at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 to be held in the United Arab Emirates.”
There have also been some exciting developments on the ground, with some of the women attracting interests from abroad.
For instance, wicket-keeper Modester Mupachikwa and all-rounder Josephine Nkomo were snapped up by clubs in the United Kingdom in July.
The nation awaits with interest as the national team battles for a T20 World Cup berth in the coming week.
We convey our best wishes to the team as they begin the qualifying tournament tomorrow.
Online Reporter