Cricket: Rwanda U19 women make ‘Super Six’ a World Cup priority
Monday, December 19, 2022
The Rwanda national U19 Cricket head coach Leonard Nhamburo talks to his players during a recent session. Photo: Courtesy.

Rwanda national U19 Cricket head coach Leonard Nhamburo has said that his young guns will be going out to at least make it through to the Super Six ahead of the forthcoming 2023 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup slated for January 14-29 in South Africa.

The Zimbabwean tactician announced his final 15-woman squad for the global event as Rwanda seeks to win a laurel in cricket at the world stage.

He will be using the same squad that qualified Rwanda for the World Cup except Jeannette Mukandayisenga who was dropped for Zurufat Ishimwe.

"We just changed one player, we need more spinners and we are carrying a squad of 15. Basically it’s just the same players that played during the Qualifiers in September," he told Times Sport.

With the squad that he has at his disposal, the astute cricket tactician emphasized that he believes in the capabilities of his players that can win a laurel in the competition in South Africa, with qualifying for the second round of the tournament (the super 6) his top priority.

"If we play good cricket, definitely we will see ourselves fighting to lift the trophy," he told Times Sport.

" Going to the world cup obviously if you get a chance of winning that will be good but our top priority is to move into the next group stages (super 6)," he added.

The team has been in a training camp since Saturday and all players are in good shape and ready for the challenge, according to the coach.

"We just need to maintain and improve from where we left off in the qualifiers. The players are ready and we started camping on Saturday," he said.

Rwanda is paired in Group B alongside Pakistan, Zimbabwe and England.

Nhamburo won the T20 Cricket Competition in Nigeria in April with the Rwandan female U19 team and he is hoping to achieve success on a higher ground which is the World Cup.

The national U-19 women cricket team Head Coach Leonard Nhamburo . File