Sundaymail Editor
Sports Reporter
THERE was something cathartic about the captain’s photoshoot for the ICC Under-19 Women’s World Cup, which was held at Nelson Mandela Square in South Africa on Thursday, roughly 48 hours before the tournament kicked off yesterday.
Captains from the 16 nations that will be taking part at the tournament posed for a photo and engaged in some chit-chat in front of the Nelson Mandela statue.
Also, each of the young skippers was preparing to make some history, as they become the first captains to lead their teams at what is essentially meant to be a quadrennial tournament.
Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe are part of the cast at the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s World Cup.
However, among the 16 young leaders was one lady who certainly had a lot more on her mind than the historic occasion, and that was Young Lady Chevrons’ skipper Kelis Ndhlovu.
For the most part, the run-up to the tournament has been rather pedestrian, as the Zimbabwe team has been in camp for a very long time.
They even travelled as far as India to get the girls ready for the tournament.
That was, however, until the eve of their departure to South Africa, when the team lost their assistant coach Sinikiwe Mpofu last weekend.
She was laid to rest on Thursday.
The news was delivered to the team by Zimbabwe Cricket’s convenor of selectors Julia Chibhabha, who described the task as “heart-breaking”.
However, Chibhabha is aware of the task that lies ahead, as the Young Chevrons start their campaign today with a date against England at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
“This is our first World Cup, and so we are expecting a great performance,” said Chibhabha in the run-up to the tournament.
“This is their first major competition, so, we are hoping they do their best.
“They are the pioneers of Under-19 cricket and (are) making a World Cup debut, so, a lot is riding on them,” she said.
Zimbabwe are in Group B, together with England, Pakistan and Rwanda.
England go into the tie as one of the group and tournament favourites.
They boast of experienced players such as Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Sophia Smale Hannah Baker and Grace Scrivens, who have all played in The Hundred, a professional cricket franchise tournament in England.
The Young Lady Chevrons’ next match will be against Rwanda on Tuesday, a team that is coached by Leonard Nhamburo, a former Lady Chevrons’ coach.
The Young Lady Chevrons wrap up their group matches on Thursday with a game against Pakistan, who also have put up a strong squad led by Syeda Aroob Shah and Shawal Zulfiqar.
A lot will be expected of skipper Ndhlovu and Michelle Mavhunga, who both have national team caps under their belts.
The duo will be expected to play a leading role for the Zimbabweans.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Zimbabwe played three warm-up games, which they lost to Ireland, West Indies and Indonesia.
However, Young Lady Chevrons’ coach Trevor Phiri is not reading much into the defeats.
“Our preparations have gone on very well, and we have managed to take a leaf from our warm-up matches, which we have played on the road to the World Cup,” said Phiri.
“We seek to rectify our errors and minimise the number of mistakes we make in the upcoming games.
“Our expectation for the first game tomorrow (today) is to focus on our game and play percentage cricket with fewer mistakes.
“Beyond that, our main hope is to progress to the next stage.”
Online Reporter