Women cricket team set for Commonwealth Games qualifiers

 Lameck Ngoche

From left: Daisy Wairimu, Ruth Achando, Lameck Ngoche, Queentor Abel and Sarah Bhakita at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on January 10, 2022  ahead of their  departure to Malaysia for the 2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifiers.

Photo credit: Pool

What you need to know:

  • Others in the first batch are Lydiah Kaparo (Chaperon) and players Daisy Wairimu Njoroge and Ruth Achando. The second batch, which includes 11 players, will jet out on Tuesday evening.
  • Ngoche revealed that they are supposed to quarantine for seven days once they arrive in Malaysia.

National women cricket team head coach Lameck Ngoche says the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifiers in Malaysia will be a good tournament to learn from some of the best teams in the world.

Kenya will face Bangladesh on January 18, Sri Lanka (January 20), Scotland (January 22) and Malaysia (January 23) in the seven-day qualifier.

The round-robin tournament will be played as Women’s Twenty20 Internationals. Only the winner will join already qualified England, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Barbados at the Commonwealth Games slated for July 29 to August 7 this  in Birmingham.

Speaking on phone from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday ahead of the departure of the first batch of four players and two officials,  Ngoche noted that the qualifiers will not be an easy tournament.

“We have had good preparations for a month and we cannot complain. We thank the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed and the Caretaker Committee for their support.

The qualifier gives us a good opportunity to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the world. If we qualify, then we get to play the best at the Commonwealth Games. It will not be easy for us but we are also ready to make our opponents sweat and even scalp them if they don’t watch out,” said the former Kenyan international.

Out of the four opponents, Kenya has only met Malaysia.

“We beat Malaysia on our way to winning the 2016 UAE International T20 Cup in Sharjah but it will be the first time we meet the other teams,” he noted.

Kenya won the annual Kwibuka T20 tournament in Kigali, Rwanda last year, with Sarah Wetoto and Queentor Abel emerging the best bowler and batter respectively.

The two are in the first batch which flew to Malaysia on Monday at 5.55pm aboard Qatar Airways.

Others in the first batch are Lydiah Kaparo (Chaperon) and players Daisy Wairimu Njoroge and Ruth Achando. The second batch, which includes 11 players, will jet out on Tuesday evening.

Ngoche revealed that they are supposed to quarantine for seven days once they arrive in Malaysia.

“Since the team returned negative coronavirus tests in Nairobi, we will request for the quarantine period to be reduced to five days."

The team has been at a bio-secure bubble camp at Pride Inn Azure, while training at Nairobi Gymkhana prioritizing the health and safety of the players, coaches and officials.