The last time the sticks were out was in May 2019, at the Spar International Indoor Hockey Test Series. The national hockey teams returned to action after a 23-month hiatus, which was mainly due to COVID-19. As the competitive play opened and events came flooding the Botswana Hockey Association (BHA) had to choose between FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup qualifiers and the African Cup Hockey qualifiers. A decision was made and last week the men and women’s teams were in Durban, South Africa seeking a maiden World Cup berth.
The teams were thrown into the lion’s den as they came up against Africa’s top-ranked teams, South Africa and Namibia. Without a rank, Botswana teams were to battle for a spot at the spectacle to be held in Belgium early next year. They faced a Namibia women’s side that is ranked 10th while the men’s side is placed 17th in the world rankings. South Africa came into the qualifiers as the highest-ranked men’s team at the 11th spot whilst the women’s team in number 14 on the world rankings.