Times Of Swaziland: OWAMI STARS IN ESWATINI WIN

OWAMI STARS IN ESWATINI WIN
================================================================================
Melusi Mkhabela on 29/08/2024 08:55:00


MBABANE – In an inspiring display of determination, Eswatini conquered their
final match against Lesotho, two days ago.
This transpired during the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19s
Women’s Twenty (T20) World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifiers. After restricting
Lesotho to 50 runs with eight dismissed, the Eswatini ladies national team
chased down the target with ease, securing victory in just 11.3 overs with six
wickets in hand. It was a great performance by one of Eswatini’s prolific
bowlers, Owami Dlamini, who produced a stellar performance.Owami’s effective
bowling prowess earned her the Player of the Match title, with stunning figures
of one for one in four overs.
Meanwhile, Eswatini Cricket Association (ECA) Secretary General (SG), Mandla
‘Germany’ Dlamini noted another exceptional performer in the Eswatini team.
“Let’s also celebrate Lihle Shabalala’s valuable contribution of 33 runs
off 27 balls not out in the pursuit of victory,” expressed the ECA SG. He
further touched on the unwavering support from fans, both near and far, citing
that it has been instrumental in keeping the team motivated and united
throughout the tournament.Meanwhile, during Eswatini’s last encounter in the
qualifiers, Shabalala got her side off the mark with a boundary shot, earning
Eswatini four runs. Eswatini completed the first over with seven runs, while
they added three in the second to bring their tally to 10.
Lesotho kept Eswatini at bay in the third over, as the latter managed one run,
while they tallied 10 runs by the end of the fourth to total 21 for none out.
However, Eswatini’s Zinhle Shabalala was bowled out by Lesotho’s Boitumelo
Tlali in 4.2 overs played of the second innings. Notably, the Eswatini ladies at
the end of the fifth over had tallied 24 runs but had lost two wickets, with
Temazikodze Sithole being the second player to be dismissed. By the end of the
eighth over, Eswatini had recorded 36 runs for two out, while Lihle struck
another four to deep backward square leg. Eswatini, who was getting closer to
the 50 runs they needed to chase, saw the reality of them winning their first
game of the qualifiers.
At the end of the ninth over, Eswatini was seven runs shy of matching
Lesotho’s 50 runs for eight out, while Phumlile Zwane took Eswatini to 45 runs
by the 10th over. Unfortunately, Zwane was dismissed by Matseliso Setintana, who
bowled out the Eswatini Under-19s national team player. Zwane had tallied a
total of seven runs for her side off 23 balls, with a batting strike rate of
30.43, which is the average number of runs scored per 100 balls faced. Shabalala
was back for her third boundary shot of the game with 11.2 overs, with a four
sent to the cow corner, generally referred to as a fielding position between
deep mid-wicket and wide long-on. She completed the win for Eswatini after a
second four in the third ball of the 11th over, which was sent to deep backward
square leg, putting Eswatini on 54 runs for four out with 11.3 overs played.