By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
From Group B, the Senior Men’s Patriots are warding off malignant spirits to tip the scale in three decisive fights to be featured in the ACA T20 Cup Qualifier scheduled for September 5 through September 10 in the city of Benoni, South Africa.
A clean pass over Cameroon, Mali, and Kenya will see the men join Uganda, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, and the top two finishers from Group A in the ACA T20 Cup finals starting on September 15 to September 24, 2023.
Sierra Leone’s first encounter in the Qualifier will be against Cameroon on September 7. Both sides have met thrice in 2018, 2021, and 2022, Sierra Leone winning all. The Benoni show will mark the fourth time both sides have squared off.
On September 9, Sierra Leone will meet Mali for the first time at the senior level. From the female side, both countries met once in 2015 in Gambia in the maiden edition of the NWACC tournament, which Sierra Leone won.
For the final bout in the ACA T20 Cup Qualifier, Sierra Leone will take on Kenya on September 10 for the first time at the senior level. From the Under-19 stage, Sierra Leone has met Kenya four times: Lusaka (2009), Namibia (2010), Abuja (2022), and Dar Es Salaam (2023). Of the five encounters, Sierra Leone won two.
Last week, the technical team of Cricket Sierra Leone, led by Head Coach Kenneth Masinga, named the Senior Men’s final squad of 14 to enter the continental fight.
Meanwhile, the Senior Ladies Patriots are gearing up to participate in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier scheduled for 31 September through 9 September, 2023 in Gaborone Botswana.
Both teams are expected to depart the shores of Sierra Leone early this week.