The road to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is set to officially begin for the Rwanda national cricket team, who are already in Botswana ahead of the sub regional Africa qualifiers.

The tournament will bring together seven African nations: Cameroon, Rwanda, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. It will take place from May 22-30.

Rwanda will start its campaign on Saturday, May 23, against Cameroon at 9:30 AM at Gaborone Oval 1.

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Ahead of the opening match, Rwanda head coach Laurence Mahatlane shared confidence about the team’s preparations and mentality.

"We have had internal games since February and are excited with how the boys have shaped up not only in those games but also in the Elite League and club cricket,” he said.

The national team recently completed a two-day preparation camp before travelling to Botswana and has already begun adapting to local conditions.

"We are very happy with how our preparations have gone. With it being winter in Botswana, the conditions should be different, but we believe we have all our bases covered in the squad.”

Only two teams will qualify for the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers, making every game decisive in the race for qualification.