SPORTS WRITER
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Qualifier Africa 2019 is set to get underway in just less than a week’s time, with the hosts Zimbabwe facing Mozambique in the opening match of the tournament at Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare.
Zimbabwe are in Group A together with Tanzania, Nigeria, Mozambique and Rwanda, while Uganda, Kenya, Namibia and Sierra Leone make up Group B.
The nine-team event is a Twenty20 (T20) competition that is serving not only as part of the pathway for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in 2020, but will also help decide the participants in the next 50-over ICC Women’s World Cup to be staged in New Zealand in 2021.
Only the winners of the regional tournament will proceed to the next and final qualifying stage, the ICC Women’s Qualifier Global contest.
After Zimbabwe’s opening encounter against Mozambique on Sunday, Uganda will take on Sierra Leone in the afternoon match on the same day, also at Old Hararians.
Across the capital, match day one will see Takashinga Cricket Club hosting Namibia versus Kenya in the morning and Nigeria against Rwanda in the afternoon.
The next day, Zimbabwe will face Tanzania in the afternoon fixture at Takashinga, with Kenya and Sierra Leone having met in the morning match.
On the same day, Old Hararians will host the Mozambique-Nigeria and Uganda-Namibia matches.
Tuesday is designated as a rest or reserve day.
Action will resume the following day with Mozambique taking on Rwanda before Kenya face Uganda at Old Hararians, while at Takashinga it will be Nigeria versus Tanzania first and then Sierra Leone against Namibia in the afternoon game.
Zimbabwe will be back on the field on Thursday next week, as they entertain Rwanda at Old Hararians, while Tanzania and Mozambique will lock horns at Takashinga – these are the only two matches on the day, both of them scheduled to start in the morning.
With all the teams resting on Friday, Saturday will see Zimbabwe versus Nigeria at Old Hararians and Rwanda against Tanzania at Takashinga in the final group matches, both also set to start in the morning.
The morning matches will be starting at 0930 hours and the afternoon fixtures at 1350 hours.
ICC WOMEN’S QUALIFIER AFRICA 2019 MATCH SCHEDULE
GROUP A: Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda
GROUP B: Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone
