Fixtures
Rwanda Vs Nigeria (May 5)
Rwanda Vs Mozambique (May 8)
Rwanda Vs Zimbabwe (May 9)
Rwanda Vs Tanzania (May 11)
The women’s national cricket team will have a mountain to climb in the upcoming African qualifiers tournament, a pathway to the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Rwanda has been placed in deadly Pool A alongside the hosts Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique. Group B includes Uganda, Kenya, Namibia and Sierra Leone.
In their opening game, Joshua Mwanja’s Rwandan side will take on Nigeria on May 5, whom they lost to during the Nigeria Tour in January.
Nigeria are in 36th spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.
The team started residential camp for intensive preparations on Tuesday where the cricketers will be having two training sessions a day until their departure to Harare early next week.
"We are going to training twice a day, and the sessions will include cricket net sessions, gym and mental preparations among others,” said Mwanja, a former Kenya international.
He further revealed to Times Sport that the local cricket body has secured three warm-up matches against their Zimbabwe counterparts prior to the week-long competition.
After the opener against Nigeria, Rwanda will face Mozambique next, on May 8, before going head-to-head with Zimbabwe the following day in their third fixture.
The team will depart Kigali on April 30.
Mwanja’s ladies will wrap up their campaign with a clash against their neighbors of Tanzania on May 11.
The best two teams from each pool from automatically book slot to the second and final round of qualifiers, from which; only two will land tickets to the T20 World Cup due in Australia from February 21 to March 8, 2020.
14-player squad in training:
Henriette Ishimwe, Veronique Iriho, Marie Diane Bimenyimana, Immaculee Muhawenimana, Gisele Ishimwe, Sarah Uwera, Cathia Uwamahoro, Sifa Ingabire, Alice Ikuzwe, Flora Irakoze, Josiane Nyirankundineza, Diane Ishimwe Dusabemungu, Margueritte Vumiliya, Antoinette Uwimbabazi
Group A: Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique
Group B:Uganda, Kenya, Namibia and Sierra Leone
editor@newtimesrwanda.com