Cricket team crashes from November high to May low
Mqondisi Dube | Friday May 31, 2019 20:08
In November, the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) Oval in Gaborone was the venue of jubilant scenes as the men’s cricket team recorded a rare victory over bogey side, Namibia.
Some players broke into tears at the end of a pulsating match, which saw Botswana edge their neighbours by three wickets.
Namibia had elected to bat first in overcast Gaborone conditions, on a slow pitch as the visitors posted 116/9 in their 20 overs, in what was a top of the table encounter, to determine the ICC Africa regional qualifiers’ winners.
In reply, Botswana batsmen slowly ate away at the target and managed to cross the line with six balls remaining and still three wickets intact.
Players in the pavilion poured into the pitch to embrace Inzimamul Master, who had hit the winning run, and Adithiya Rangaswamy, who had stayed with him at the crease.
At the end, Botswana topped the group, unbeaten in six matches, while Namibia finished second, with one defeat. Both qualified for the ICC Africa Region Final, which Uganda hosted last week.
The qualifiers were meant to decide the two African teams that will proceed to the final round of the T20 World Cup qualifiers to be played in the United Arab Emirates.
Botswana never got going in Kampala, starting with a 52-run defeat to the hosts, after their opening game against Namibia was washed out last Sunday. There was no respite for the boys in blue, as, despite an improved performance, they still slumped to a 11-run defeat to Nigeria, which all but ended their hopes of progressing to the final round of the qualifiers.
Botswana had to win their rescheduled match against Namibia on Wednesday last week to keep their dim hopes alive. But Wednesday this week, May 22, 2019, will go down in history as Botswana’s darkest cricket moment.
Botswana won the toss and chose to bat first, a decision that proved costly after the team crashed to their lowest ever T20 total.
A furious Namibia, chasing revenge for the November defeat, ripped through Botswana’s batting line-up, as the Karabo Motlhanka-skippered outfit folded to a paltry 46 all out in the 12th over. This meant Botswana was dismissed for the third lowest score ever by a national side, only behind the 39 recorded by the Netherlands in 2014, and West Indies’ 44 against England this year. Four Botswana batsmen were dismissed for nought, with two of them going out for golden ducks (out on the first ball).
Christoffel Viljoen was the tormentor-in-chief, returning figures of five wickets, conceding just nine runs, the world’s eighth best bowling figures in T20 cricket. When Namibia took to the crease, opening batsman, Niko Davin, thrived where the Botswana batsmen had crumbled like a deck of cards on his way to a quick fire 37 from just 19 balls, as the Eagles clawed up the match in just 3.5 overs.
The crushing 10 wicket defeat was the heaviest ever in T20 cricket, beating the previous record set by Sri Lanka, who beat Netherlands by nine wickets with 90 balls to spare.
Botswana was beaten with 97 balls remaining, and the unwanted record might stand for years to come.
The team coach, Joseph Angara, was quick to dismiss any concerns of unrest within the camp following the dismal performance in Kampala. “All is well in camp despite the team not winning a game.
It is frustrating for all of us, but it is part of the game,” the former Kenyan bowler said. The team had not been paid its appearance fees for the last two tournaments in 2018, and flew to Uganda with the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) promising to credit the amount at the earliest possible time.
The BCA has already begun inspecting the mangled wreckage of the Kampala calamity.
BCA fixtures and publicity secretary, Sumod Damodar said there will be a review of the team’s performance.
“We are looking at the results and performance. We will be reviewing the outcome for a plan to establish the way forward. Reports from everyone concerned are awaited soon,” Damodar said.