Some of Namibia’s top women cricketers are playing with their male counterparts in the Nedbank Desert Ice T20 Challenge which is currently underway.
The competition sees franchises like the Green Mambas, the Central Sunrisers and the Gobabis Bulls battling it out for the winning prize of N$50 000.
Teams owners can select whoever they want, although teams may only have two premier league or national players, while players from the age of 14, as well as women players may compete.
As a result, many junior players have been included in the competing teams as well as some national women’s team players.
Cricket Namibia chief executive Johan Muller says the competition is a great addition to the Namibian cricketing landscape.
“This is a great competition and we want to thank Nedbank for coming on board. This is a private initiative from some of our clubs that incorporated a new competition during our off season, and it’s great that Nedbank partnered with them to create a league structure for this.
“For us it’s wonderful to see that women get selected into these teams as well. It’s centrally owned by businesses, so they can select whichever players they want to, and its great to see the women playing on merit in a men’s competition,” he says.
“It also gives them a lot of additional exposure, playing against opposition they don’t normally play against and enhancing their skills for the women’s competitions they play in,” he says.
Asad Abbas, the director of Impact Cricket, which organises the league, says although it’s an open tournament, it does emphasise cricket development.
“There is an age limit. Players should be at least 14 years old, but anyone can play, so we don’t limit participation in terms of gender, and it enables teams to use national women players as well,” he says.
“We sent out open invitations to teams so anyone can enter. They can select their best possible teams, but there are also a lot of junior players, so there is definitely an emphasis on development,” he says.
Abbas, however, says they do make provision for player safety.
“We have advised the teams to make sure the players are not in danger. For instance, if they are bringing in a 14-year-old or a woman player, they must make sure they enter the game scenario in a condition that does not put them in danger,” he says.
“There are certain phases during the game. For instance, in the initial phase, the faster bowlers are bowling, while the spinners are mostly bowling in the middle phase, and towards the end, the faster bowlers once again come into play.
“So they must adjust their batting lineup according to the phases of the game,” he says.
Several women have been signed up but not many have played so far, with only two rounds of the competition having been completed.
Last weekend, Kayla Green made a solid contribution of 20 runs for the Central Sunrisers in their 24-run defeat to the Etungu Kudus, while Edelle van Zyl scored seven runs for the Kudus in the same match.
Other national players that have been signed up include Arrasta Diergaardt, Mezerly Gorases and Meke Mwatile for the Sunrisers, and Alexa Vorster for the Kudus.
The Green Mambas and the Gobabis Bulls, meanwhile, have taken the early lead in the competition on four points each after they both won their opening two matches.
The Run Whisperers, Etungu Kudus and Spur Warriors follow on two points each, while the Central Sunrisers, CCD Tigers and Unam Zebras must still open their account.
Nicol Loftie-Eaton of the Green Mambas is the leading run scorer with 111 runs, followed by teammate Henry Hayes and Hendrik van der Walt, who are both on 106 runs.
Johan Geldenhuys of the Mambas is the leading wicket taker with five wickets, followed by Drikus Swart of the Gobabis Bulls and Kairabvir Malhotra of the Run Whisperers with four wickets each.
