ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa qualifier to begin in Namibia

WINDHOEK: The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier will kick off in Windhoek, Namibia on August 31.

Eight teams will compete for two spots at the Global Qualifier stage.

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The tournament will be held at two venues, the newly built FNB Namibia Cricket Ground and the refurbished HP Cricket Oval.

Teams participating are Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

Zimbabwe will enter the tournament as the highest-ranked team. Namibia, the hosts, will play with the advantage of home conditions.

Uganda showed steady progress in recent ICC events. Rwanda and Sierra Leone, promoted from Division 2 earlier this year, are the newer entrants with ambitions to leave a mark.

Nigeria women’s team, the Female Yellow Greens, trained in the Benin city, while their squad finalised selection in Lagos under Leke Oyede. Oyede said that the team aimed to qualify and described the opening matches against Sierra Leone and Namibia as important.

“Two teams qualify for the Global Qualifier”, said Oyede. “if we start strong, we can secure a place in the semis and move on”.

The top two teams from the Africa qualifier will advance to the Global Qualifier later this year. Success there will lead to the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England.

Kenya and Tanzania will look to challenge the more established sides, while Rwanda and Sierra Leone seek to build momentum from their recent promotions.

Organisers expect tight contests throughout the tournament. The Windhoek venues were also praised for their international-standards facilities.

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The ICC women’s T20 World Cup Africa qualifier will run until September 7, featuring group matches followed by semi-finals and playoffs.