By Jacob Ajom
The battle for the Patricia Kambarami Cup begins Friday with former champions Rwanda taking on Ghana in a fierce battle that will set the tone for their campaigns in the tournament that will run through March 29.
The second match of the day will witness Zimbabwe U19 women take on host Nigeria in a what is expected to be a feisty affair.
Speaking to Sports Vanguard in Lagos yesterday captain of the Ghana women cricket team Kokam Jacquline said she and her team were ready for the tough challenge of facing the continent’s best teams in the tournament.
“We are not scared of any team here. Although we are here to learn, we want to make a good impression of ourselves and we are not going to be the last team in this tournament. That I am sure of.”
On her part, the Zimbabwean captain, Buhleboniosi Maposa said they were happy being in Nigeria. “We are not targeting the title but here to compete.
The Nigerian captain, Lucky Piety said she and her colleagues were calm and focused, without injury worries. On the prospects of playing South Africa and Zimbabwe on home soil. She said, “it doesn’t make any difference. We have faced them in the past, the only difference here is that they are coming for this tournament for the first time. We are ready.”
Piety said their approach is simple. “We will take one game at a time and see how it goes. We are not under any pressure
South Africa women’s U19 captain, Mieke van Voorst said their mission to Nigeria was to perfect their preparations for the 2027 World Cup.
“We have quite a few players who just joined the team and we want to use this tournament to make them blend with the rest of the team before the World Cup. It is a good opportunity for us test our team.”
Head coach of the Nigerian team, Theophilus Ibodeme re-echoed his captain, “our team is in a good mood, relaxed and ready to play cricket. We are going to learn from each other.
