Pathetic lady chevrons

The national women cricket team ended a disappointing campaign at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Nepal

Blessing Malinganiza

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THE nightmare is over for the Lady Chevrons.

The national women cricket team ended a disappointing campaign at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Nepal.

The team finished bottom of their group, without a single victory, a result that has ignited intense scrutiny of the team’s preparations and performances. Placed in Group B alongside the Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand, and hosts Nepal, Zimbabwe’s hopes of securing one of the tournament’s coveted spots for the 2026 World Cup was a horror experience.

The team lost all their four games, closing their campaign with a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Nepal last Friday, which sealed their fate.

Lady Chevrons coach Walter Chawaguta said the campaign was a disappointing one.

“We are all very disappointed. We expected far more from ourselves than we displayed in this tournament.

“We struggled badly for ascendance in our batting. “We simply couldn’t get going, losing too many wickets in the power play. We were always playing catch-up from there. Our top order did not bat long enough or deep enough into the innings to make a meaningful impact. We didn’t bat long enough as a unit.

“We lost games in very small ways. We didn’t get the one-percenters right, even in bowling and fielding, which we needed to get us over the line in close games.”

Chawaguta believes batting was a challenge.

“Batting is a challenge. It is a clear challenge. We are good enough to score 140 to 150 runs regularly, but it didn’t come right in this tournament.

“Going forward, we must back our players’ ability, especially at the top, to get a good start in the power play and find form.

“In the middle overs, our inability to rotate strike and build partnerships was key.

“We struggled to find gaps, pressure mounted, and we kept losing wickets.”

Chawaguta added: “Losing wickets early puts immense pressure on the middle order to consolidate rather than dominate. That is where we fell short.

“Our bowling generally was good but we missed our lines too often with the new ball, giving the opposition a push start with extras.

“We need to get our young fast bowlers’ alignment and consistency right.

“But all their efforts couldn’t just go in vain without noting positives. “A positive was our fielding, which was a huge improvement and on par, a department we expected to struggle in.”