Cricket: Queentor Abel-inspired Kenya shine in WC qualifiers
Knight Tigers' Queentor Abel plays a shot on the crease during their match against Soaring Eagles on August 24, 2023 at Sir Ali Muslim Club.
What you need to know:
- Only the top two teams in the competition will progress to the final round of the World Cup qualifiers slated for later this year.
- Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe are the teams waiting in the final round of the qualifiers.
- The top two teams in the continental showpiece will qualify for the global championship.
Kenya on Tuesday thrashed Lesotho by 208 runs to complete in style their Group “A” matches in the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Division Two qualifiers in Gaborone, Botswana.
Despite having already qualified for the semifinals slated for Wednesday, Kenya coached by former international Francis Otieno showed no mercy against Lesotho, with former captain Queentor Abel again starring with an impressive 109 runs in 52 balls that she faced.
In the match held at the Botswana Cricket Association Oval, Abel spiced up her top performance with 16 fours and a six.
The East Africans won the toss and elected to bat first, setting a target of 234 runs for the loss of one wicket in 20 overs of their innings.
They then restricted Lesotho to 26 runs all-out in 13 overs of their innings.
In Kenya’s innings, Abel’s opening batting partner, Daisy Njoroge was also on fire, as she was not-out and delivered 82 runs from 67 balls including 10 fours.
The resounding victory at Botswana Cricket Association Oval saw Kenya maintain their top spot in the pool on six points.
Malawi and Botswana are joint second with two points each, but the former are ranked ahead courtesy of a better run rate, while winless Lesotho are bottom with zero points.
In pool “A”, Sierra Leone top with six points, two more than second-placed Cameroon, while Mozambique and Eswatini follow in that order with two and zero points respectively.
Kenya will face Cameroon in Wednesday's semi-finals.
For shining with the bat, Abel was deservedly crowned the match’s best player - the second time she bagged the gong in the competition after doing so in their 111 run-win over Botswana in their opening match on Saturday.
In that encounter, she delivered 71 runs from 46 balls including 12 boundaries. She also took four wickets and earned a maiden in four overs where she conceded just seven runs. In their second match held on Sunday, Kenya defeated Malawi by seven wickets.
Only the top two teams in the competition will progress to the final round of the World Cup qualifiers slated for later this year.
Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe are the teams waiting in the final round of the qualifiers.
The top two teams in the continental showpiece will qualify for the global championship.
