Kenya may have been the last team to confirm their participation in the on-going seventh edition of the Kwibuka Twenty20 Women’s International Tournament but they showed enough hunger that they want to play in the last match of the ICC-sanctioned event – the final - with a 9-wicket victory over Botswana.
Having got an extra day of rest as they didn’t play on the opening day (Sunday), Kenya came into Match Day Two as the fresher of the two sides for their T20 affair in the event’s Game Three.
Kenya captain Margaret Ngoche Banja found luck with the pre-match toss and opted to field first.
Poor running between the wickets cost Botswana their opening batter, Shameelah Mosweu, on the first ball as Kenyan wicket-keeper Sharon Juma caught her short off the crease with a direct hit.
And then there was a steady rebuild of their innings as they reached 29 for 1 in 8 overs thanks to top scorer Florence Samanyika (18 runs off 31 balls) and captain Laura Mophakedi (8 runs off 21 balls).
But when both batters fell in quick succession, the innings was all about Kenya’s experienced star, all-rounder Sarah Bhakita, who turned over her arm for some very slow but accurate spin bowling to claim a five-wicket haul at a cost of only 12 runs in her four-over spell.
By the time Bhakita’s spell was done, the southern Africans were stuttering on 38 runs for 7 wickets in 12.1 overs.
Botsogo Mpedi (13 runs of 12 balls) and tail-ender Onneile Keitsemang (9 runs not out) offered some resistance at the end as Bostwana finished on 68 runs for 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
The little crowd at Gahanga Stadium was expecting Botswana’s bowlers to pose some questions to the Kenyan batsmen but it never happened.
Openers Queentor Abel (35 runs not out off 19 balls) and Veronica Abugah (22 runs off 15 balls) found their hitting range with a total of 10 boundaries early on and the scoreboard was reading 39 runs inside 5 overs by the time the latter fell.
Captain Ngoche put the finishing touches on the sweet victory with an unbeaten cameo of 14 runs off 11 balls to give the three-time champions a commanding start to the week-long event.
