Namibia captain Irene van Zyl and her opposite number in the Botswana dugout Laura Mophakedi promised better displays during the pre-match interviews ahead of their duel in Game Six of the seventh Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 International Tournament at Gahanga Stadium. And both delivered in the battle of southern African countries. But it was the former that came out on top with a 65-run victory when the match climaxed; thanks to no small part Player of Match Sune Wittmann. Wittmann, promoted up the batting order to open the innings after her skipper van Zyl won the toss, was let off early on in her innings by the Botswana fielders and she duly made them pay by riding her luck to carry her bat for an unbeaten half century of 93 runs off 60 balls – the highest individual score of the tournament thus far. Wittmann sprayed balls all over the park, fitting nicknamed ‘The Lord’s of East Africa, with nine boundaries; three of them towering sixes and the other six fours. She didn’t show any pinch of regret on missing out on a coveted century as she willingly granted wicketkeeper cum batsman Yasmeen Khan (31 runs off 29 balls) a fair share of the strike as Namibia set a mammoth 155 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in the 20 overs. The only wicket to fall in the first innings was of Adri van der Merwe (17 runs off 32 balls), who succumbed to a team effort run-out that was completed by Botswana all-rounder Botho Freeman. Faced with a mountain to climb, Botswana didn’t shy away from the challenge as their openers; Florence Samanyika (13 runs off 16 balls) and captain Mophakedi (15 runs off 24 balls) stringed together the team’s best partnership thus far – a 34-run combo that lasted 5.3 overs. The two Capricorn Eagles spinners; Victoria Hamunyela (two wickets for 11 runs in four overs) and Kayleen-Ann Green (two wickets for 16 runs in four overs) made their presence felt for the umpteenth time in this tournament as they stifled and reduced their opponents of the day to 79 runs for 5 wickets in 14.2 overs. But there was a last kick of a dying horse offered by left-hander Shameelah Mosweu, who came in at No.3 and had miserly watched wickets fall around her. She constructed five beautiful boundaries in her innings of 29 runs off 22 balls to ensure that Botswana end on a respectable total of 90 runs for seven wickets – a score that left their coach Innocent Chando with lots of optimism despite suffering their third consecutive loss. Namibia now sits top of the table with six points ahead of second-placed Kenya, who put up 92 runs to record a win over hapless Nigeria, to claim four points after two games. Host nation Rwanda is third with two points while Nigeria and Botswana come bottom of the table with not a single point as they continue to struggle for a win in the tournament. The table toppers clash takes centre-stage tomorrow when Namibia and Kenya lock horns with both sides eager to take the early bragging rights of the tournament that has five teams in the fray and climaxes on Saturday, June 12.
