Young Mosweu bats her way to the top

No Image

She is immensely talented. Under-19 women's cricket captain, Shameela Mosweu, possesses extraordinary batting skills, which have left the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) chief executive officer, Girish Ramakrishna in awe.

Ramakrishna describes the 15-year-old as a gifted player with huge potential. He said this based on the way she batted during the recent Four Nations Under-19 tournament that Botswana hosted. The 15-year-old was able to score the most runs (54) in a game Botswana won by eight runs against Mozambique. However, her biggest achievement from the tournament was being named Player of the Series after an impressive performance in the final against rivals Namibia. Mosweu scored 74-runs before she was out in a closely contested 35-Over game that Namibia won by 23 runs. If Mosweu had stayed at the crease, it could have been a different story. Botswana won convincingly against Swaziland and Mozambique in the first two days of the tournament. They were expected to win against rivals Namibia who put 212 on the board when sent in to bat first. As if blaming herself for their loss against Namibia, Mosweu said that had she not been caught Botswana could have been the victors. She said her departure affected the team's morale as Botswana capitulated after her dismissal. "It seems all hope was on me as I had come to understand the way Namibia was bowling," she said.

Despite the loss, Mosweu said she was happy to have been named Player of the Series, an honour she did not expect since it was her first time to compete at that level. She said the team would go back to the drawing board and iron out the minor mistakes that cost them the game. Botswana is expected to take part in a tournament scheduled for December 16-20 in Uganda. The tournament features some of the strongest women cricketing nations, among them Tanzania, Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, and Nigeria. Mosweu said they would continue training thrice a day as usual. She said she is happy with the BCA who have taken it upon themselves to focus on development. "Things are currently looking up because a lot of people are now involved in the sport," she said.   Mosweu urged women to drop the perception that cricket is a male sport. She encouraged her age-mates to join the sport. Mosweu said she started playing cricket at the tender age of four. She started playing because of her brother and father who happen to be big fans of the sport. Mosweu's brother Rashad plays for the Under-15 national side. She said that while playing for fun with her family people advised her to take the sport seriously because she was talented. Her skills saw her playing for the Under-16 national side at the tender age of 13. She said she would like to play cricket for as long as possible, expressing interest in playing for the senior national team in future.

Editor's Comment
Women unite for progress

It underscores the indispensable role women play in our society, particularly in building strong households and nurturing families. The recognition of women as the bedrock of our communities is not just a sentiment; it's a call to action for all women to stand together and support each other in their endeavours.The society's aim to instil essential principles and knowledge for national development is crucial. By providing a platform for...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up