The tournament has attracted players from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) spokesperson, Ookeditse Lekang, told MmegiSport that the team is ready for the competition. He said Botswana has proven over the years that it has some of the best bowlers in the region. During the 2023 edition, held in Namibia, Botswana won five medals; a gold in the Women’s Triples, two silver medals in the Men’s Singles and Triples, and two bronze medals in the Men’s Pairs and Fours. This was an improvement from Kenya in 2019 when Botswana women won three medals (gold, silver, and bronze).
It was also one of Botswana’s best performances at the AST tournament as recent records show that the last time the team won five medals at a single AST was at the 30th edition in 2009 when the tournament was hosted in Eswatini. “The association has huge ambitions to improve the performance of the national teams at international competitions and to challenge for Commonwealth and World championships medals. The national team players are kept active through a busy calendar that includes local and regional tournaments. They are also required to do weekly assessments so that they become sharp and improve their bowling skills.
