April 11, 2017 By Sahr Morris Jnr
The Patriot…enduring poor run
Sierra Leone national cricket squad, the Patriot, would be seeking for redemption when they would take on Botswana on Tuesday in the ongoing ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division I qualifiers at Willowmoore Park B oval in Benoni, South Africa.
After three straight defeats in as many matches, Sierra Leone remains the only team without a win in the competition and a victory is all but needed if the Patriot wants to revive their hopes of escaping relegation.
Sierra Leone suffered a 113 runs defeat to Ghana in the tournament opener before going down to Zambia, who recorded their first win of the tournament with a 41-run triumph.
Sierra Leone had Zambia 92 for 7 after 26 overs but could not drive home their advantage with the tail wagging to post 199. The last 3 wickets put on 107 in 20.2 overs.
Hopes were alive in Monday’s match against Nigeria but they cannot matchup the Nigerians, who ended up winning the clash by 91 runs. Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat first and they were all out to 181 in 48.3 over. The Patriot’s replies were limited to 90 runs for 36.4 over ensuring their West African opponent a 91 runs.
Botswana, who on the other hand sits third places behind Ghana and Tanzania respectively, with four points, recorded their first win in the tournament against Zambia by 81 runs. The Southern African nation went on to narrowly defeat their East African opponent, Tanzania by 26 runs.
Batswana’s good run were halted by the tournament favourites, Ghana, who remained the only unbeaten side in the tournament. The Ghanaians secured a 4 wickets win; thanks to their 155/6 score line, while Batswana were all out for 154 runs in 46.2 overs.
The 2017 ICC World Cricket League – Africa is the region’s qualifier into the ICC World Cricket League (WCL). The WCL is the global pathway for qualification into the ICC Cricket World Cup. The event takes place in Benoni, South Africa.
The 6 teams are competing in a round robin format with the team on top of the ladder at the conclusion of the tournament proceeding to World Cricket League Division 5.