By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The Eswatini Cricket National team means business in Abuja, Nigeria’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier.
They secured their second victory against Ivory Coast on Wednesday evening in their search of at least finishing third among the five countries competing in the qualifiers. The victory comes after a loss to Nigeria, the hosts while the first win came at the expense of St Helena.
Eswatini is all set to face Sierra Leone this morning in a crucial clash for third place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifier. Sierra Leone won the toss and opted to bat first. Both teams are tied on points, but Sierra Leone has the net run rate advantage.
The Eswatini Cricket Association (ECA) hailed the team and described the performance against Ivory Coast as superb.
“After an exciting match against Côte d’Ivoire, our team emerged victorious by 8 wickets. Côte d’Ivoire won the toss and opted to bat first, which didn’t favour them as our brilliant bowlers went to work, restricting them to a mere 41 runs in just 19 overs.
Our batting innings didn’t start smoothly, and we lost a wicket on the first ball. However, we turned the game thanks to a remarkable partnership between Tarun Sandeep and Rohan Sandeep (Man of the Match).
Rohan showcased his talent with an incredible knock, hitting a few boundaries and helping us chase the target in just 3.1 overs.
As we celebrate this victory, we are gearing up for our last tournament match against Sierra Leone. Let’s rally behind our boys for another thrilling game,” reads a statement from ECA.
The country is represented by 12 players Adil Butt (Captain), Buhle Dlamini, Javid Suleman, Joseph Wright, Umair Qasim, Muhammad Amin, Minhaz Khorbariya, Melusi Magagula, Rohan Sandeep, Mancoba Jele, Mohammed Alangir, Veli Jele, Tarun Sandeep and Thandolwethu Dlamini.
The Coach is Sohail Khan while Mandla Dlamini is the manager.
