adminNgoni Dapira Sports Correspondent
THE year 2015 will beyond doubt go down in history as a golden year for Zimbabwe’s women sports teams, with the Zimbabwe’s women’s cricket team having already broken their previous record by qualifying into the semi-finals of the 2015 International Cricket Council Women’s Twenty20 Qualifier currently underway in Thailand.
The side yesterday (Thursday) faced Bangladesh in the semi-finals and results could not be established by the time of going to Press.
However, Zimbabwe women’s cricket team manageress, Caroline Nyamande on Wednesday, said by sailing through to the semi-finals the ladies were already victors in their own right.
Despite losing their final Pool B match against eventual group winners, Ireland on Tuesday, Zimbabwe had already booked a last-four spot with victories over China and Netherlands.
Nyamande said the achievement was a sign of the potential that women sport had in the country.
The Chipo Mugeri-led side was, however, determined to qualify all the way for their first ever major event, the World T20 in India in March next year.
Nyamande said despite the loss, the team remained in high spirits ahead of their semi-finals clash with Bangladesh at the Thailand Cricket Centre.
The Bangladeshi women made it to the last-four as group winners on the back of a perfect run of three wins in as many matches in Pool A, which also included runners-up Scotland as well as hosts Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
Ireland and Scotland square up in the other trophy semi-final.
The top two sides from each group made it to the trophy semi-finals, while the bottom two from each group will play in the shield semi-finals.
The top two teams that meet in the trophy final tomorrow (Saturday) will join defending champions Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies at the 2016 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 finals, which will be played alongside the men’s competition in India from the March 11 to April 3.
This will be the second edition of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier, after the 2013 event hosted by Ireland. Pakistan and Sri Lanka qualified as the joint winners then.
Nyamande said the team either way is winner no matter the outcome in the semi-finals clash.
“We came to prove a point that we were not just a development side, but a serious cricket team. The girls do really deserve it because we have worked hard for it and have come a long way. We have put Zimbabwe on the map as women cricketers,” said Nyamande.
The achievement of the Zimbabwe women cricketers comes on the heels of the success of the Zimbabwe women’s senior football team, the Mighty Warriors that in October qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics after defeating the West African giants Cameroon.
The 2016 Summer Olympics are slated for Rio de Jenero in Brazil in August.
Online Reporter