Botswana cricket national team were last Friday crowned the Africa Cricket Association T2O South and Central Region champions in Benoni, South Africa.
This is the team’s second reign as ACA T20 champions, having won it in 2018 as hosts in Gaborone, only coming close to winning last year when they finished third.
Joseph Angara, the Head Coach for the Baggy Blues, expressed his delight with his boys’ performance, noting that this indicates improvement in his squad.
“We did very well, I am proud of my boys, it was a team effort that got us this win, especially considering we last won the tournament in 2018 while we were hosts. The boys deserve it,” Angara told Voice Sports.
Winning the tournament means the Baggy Blues have qualified for the continental tournament, which will begin this weekend in Nairobi, Kenya.
It will be the Baggy Blues’ third appearance in the continental tournament. Last year, the lads were knocked out in the semi-finals, which the association hailed as a significant accomplishment.
This year, coach Angara hopes to lead the boys to the continental competition finals and bring home the trophy while qualifying for the International Cricket Association T20 World Championships.
“Despite having less time to prepare for the tournament, my boys are in great shape and morale is high, but we cannot use that as an excuse. I am currently working on the boys’ power play; I realised we were winning with fewer runs, so I want to push them to make more runs,” Coach Angara explained.
Lastly, the coach urged the nation to rally behind the team, stating that the support will motivate them to perform well since they will play knowing that their fellow countrymen and women are rooting for them.
“We will need the nation’s support as we will be playing against top teams, like the reigning champions of Uganda, who are our first opponent at the tournament,” the Coach added.
