Sundaymail Editor
Sports Reporter
JUST four runs!
Yes, that was the difference between success and failure for the Zimbabwe Lady Chevrons, who went down to Ireland and missed out on the golden ticket to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup slated for South Africa next year.
The Irish women’s cricket team and Bangladesh, who beat Thailand by 11 runs, will meet today in the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates after both teams qualified for the global showcase after Friday’s semi-final victories.
Zimbabwe and Thailand will now meet in the third- and fourth-place playoff match today.
And the key word for Lady Chevrons’ coach Gary Brent will be redemption.
The gaffer has described his charges’ failure to qualify for the World Cup as disappointing.
“Despite the disappointment, I am really proud of the team’s performance during this tournament,” said Brent.
“The girls have elevated the game to a new level, and it is just unfortunate we could not turn it into a qualification spot.
“We have to look forward now as we have a game tomorrow (today).
“We have to win it and can do just that if we play to the best of our ability,” he said.
“In the first 10 overs of that match, we struggled a bit with both the bat and the ball, and we came back mostly in the game in the last 10 overs.
“We succumbed to pressure, and Ireland played better than us under pressure.
“That was the difference.”
All things considered, Brent believes his charges had a decent tournament.
The UAE defeat in the team’s final group game, he added, had no bearing on the team’s performance and semi-final loss.
“Hopefully, it (the loss) serves as a reminder that we should not take anything lightly.”
Online Reporter