Kwekwe (New Ziana) – Three Midwest Rhinos players, among them the Ndiraya twins, made it into the Zimbabwe national team to participate in the first-ever International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa this month.
The twins – Kelly and Kay Ndiraya, together with Faith Ndhlalambi, are three Midwest Rhinos players who are in the final 15-member squad to compete in the inaugural tournament slated for January 14 to 29.
Midwest Rhinos administrator, Victor Mhlanga said this was testimony of the club’s development programme bearing fruit.
“As Rhinos we are known for uplifting the girl child, and if they make the final selection, more ladies will be interested in playing cricket,” he said.
Midwest Rhinos general manager, Admire Marodza said: “It is good to see our structures bearing fruit. Having three players in the national team is a huge achievement. We have come up with a programme so that they keep working hard and learning. We just hope they will keep our flag high.”
Zimbabwe will be captained by experienced all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu.
The Zimbabwe Under-19 Women’s side, under coach Trevor Phiri, is in Group B alongside England, Pakistan and Rwanda.
The ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 has 16 teams that are divided into four groups of four, with the top three in each group progressing to the Super Six stage which will have two pools.
The top two sides from each of the Super Six leagues will progress to the semi-finals, with the final taking place on 29 January.
All Group B matches will be played in Potchefstroom, an academic city in the North West province of South Africa that lies about 120 km southwest of Johannesburg.
The ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 Cricket World Cup tournament, which will see the world’s best U19 female cricketers displaying their skills on the global stage, will be played in the T20 format as a 16-team tournament with 41 matches to be played.
It will be the curtain-raiser for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup that will also be held in South Africa from 09 – 26 February.
New Ziana
