The national women’s cricket team of Lesotho has suffered a third consecutive defeat at the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division Two tournament currently underway in Gaborone, Botswana.
After opening their Group A campaign with a heavy 10-wicket loss to Rwanda, the team fell to Cameroon by 55 runs in their second match, and then endured a crushing 106-run defeat to Malawi. These results highlight the continued struggles of Team Lesotho on the international stage.
Their fixture against Mozambique, scheduled for today, is a chance to salvage pride. However, the team is already out of contention for a place in the next round.
Head coach Dzikamai Alexander Mavhiko has expressed deep concern over the team’s ongoing poor performances, attributing them to the chronic lack of investment and support for cricket development in Lesotho.
“Things have not gone well. We have lost all our matches so far,” Mavhiko admitted. “But despite the results, there are encouraging improvements in the way our girls are conducting themselves during games.”
The tournament, which began on 20 July, serves as the qualification stage for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place from 12 June to 5 July 2026. But for Lesotho, whose campaign now risks ending winless, the gap in quality and preparation compared to other nations has been stark.
“These countries, like Rwanda, are far ahead of us. Their preparations alone speak volumes about what they are aiming to achieve. They have proper infrastructure and solid development pathways,” Mavhiko said.
He was especially candid about the team’s loss to Cameroon, a side still relatively new to the international cricket scene.
“Cameroon outplayed us, especially in batting. That shows we still have a lot of work to do in that area,” he added.
Mavhiko warned that without urgent action to build cricket from the grassroots level, the future of the sport in Lesotho remains bleak.
“Our structures are not supportive of development. If nothing is done now, there will be no progress in the years to come. The game will die a natural death. Once the current crop of players phases out, there will be no one to take over,” he cautioned.
Lesotho’s next Group A match against Mozambique is set for today. With three defeats already in the bag, the team is mathematically out of the race for a place in Division One.
That stage will feature stronger teams including Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and is scheduled to take place in Namibia from 31 August to 6 September 2025.
A failure to record a win in this year’s qualifiers would mirror their previous campaign in the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers, also held in Botswana, where Lesotho exited without securing a single victory.
Seabata Mahao is a general news reporter with special focus on Business and Sports. Started working at Newsday in 2021. Working in a team with a shared goal is what I enjoy most and that gives me the motivation to work under any environment leading to growth.
