In their quest to secure a spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup, the national women’s cricket team achieved a resounding victory over Cameroon, winning by a margin of 118 runs in their Africa Qualifier- Division 2 semi-final match in Gaborone, Botswana, on Wednesday evening.
Queentor Abel emerged as the standout performer of the match, taking five wickets against the West African opponents after Kenya had been restricted to a total of 156 runs for the loss of five wickets.
Having won the toss, Kenya chose to bat first but faced early setbacks as their top-order batswomen returned to the pavilion almost as soon as they had set foot on the Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1 grounds.
Abel, who opened the batting for Kenya, was dismissed for just 15 runs due to a leg-before-wicket (lbw) decision. She was soon followed by Daisy Njoroge, who was bowled out by Abele Leslie after scoring seven runs.
Fortunately, the middle order of Venasa Ooko, captain Esther Wachira, and Melvin Khagoista displayed resilience and determination, contributing scores of 32, 51, and 28 runs, respectively, to propel Kenya to a total of 156 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Abel, despite her initial setback with the bat, more than compensated for it with her impressive bowling performance. She claimed the wickets of Madaleine Laure Nseke Sissako, Michele Solange Ekani Ngono, Cynerah Dibande Mboe, Brenda Waluma, and Clemence Ingrid Manidom.
Mary Mwangi, a right-arm medium bowler, joined the onslaught against the Cameroonian team, dismissing Bernadette Manuella Aboui Mbida and Marguerite Etoga Bessala. Ultimately, Cameroon was restricted to a total of 38 runs in 14.4 overs.
Kenya will now advance to the final, where they will face the hosts, Botswana, on Friday. This opportunity brings them one step closer to securing their place in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. In an earlier match at the same venue, South Africa secured victory by 17 runs against Sierra Leone.
