29 May 2022

Botswana Cricket Association on Friday announced a professional move for some men and women players.

Vice chairperson of the cricket association, Sumol Damodar, said those players’ contracts had been extended to 14 players and had been in effect for a month now.

“The players’ contracts have been set up to provide long-term opportunities for national players, and comes with a purpose to ensure sustained development growth and improved performances,” Damodar stated.

Damodar applauded the cricket association’s board for the initiative.

He said athletes now had a responsibility to the contract that would enable them to perform better and gain International Cricket Council points.

Botswana National Olympic Council programmes manager, Wedu Motswetla applauded the association for being the second sporting code in Botswana to contract players. She said this was a commendable milestone which would see athletes working towards improving their performance.

Meanwhile, Damodar said women’s national team was well in preparations for the Kwibuka Women’s T20 scheduled for Rwanda June 7-19. He said the eight country tournament; Rwanda, Nigeria, Botswana, Brazil, Germany, Uganda, Kenya and Uganda sanctioned by International Cricket Council was of importance as its benefits would have better rankings for Botswana.

“Botswana is the lowest ranked country among her participants at the Kwibuka tournament,” he said. However, he urged athletes not to be deterred by that and rather be motivated and encouraged to perform better. He said this was the first step to learning as their participation will have serious effect on rankings.

He mentioned that the tournament host, Rwanda, intend to have a separate Elite tournament after the Kwibuka Women’s T20 identified from the number of countries participating in the tournament.

“They have identified athletes as their Elite players before hand from the participating countries to have a two team event,” Damodar said.

Botswana’s Captain Laura Mophakedi has been nominated as an Elite player for the intended tournament, and Damodar noted that after the Kwibuku tournament Mophakedi will remain behind for a week to play in the tournament.

“I am very excited for the opportunity because it will be my first time playing with other athletes not against them,” Mophakedi said adding that this will expose her to a lot of experience and introduce her to different ways of approaching the game as well as their training plan. “It will improve my game and I am looking forward to that opportunity,” she said.

Sharing her views on the players’ contract, Mophakedi said the contract had its good and bad. “Currently the standard of living is high due to COVID-19 impacts with the world economy on crisis, so it has lifted a burden on us as we will be getting something from our sporting code,” she said.

However, she said having a contract now brings a lot of pressure on them as athletes because they have to keep up with standards of performance. “If you are not performing according to standard by end of evaluation period you might not have your contract renewed,” Mophakedi noted.

Another athlete, Shameelah Mosweu also a beneficiary of BNSC Sport Elite Scholarship, said the initiative wa a good start as it would create motivation and encouragement to take the sport seriously. “We are being recognised and this is what we work towards initially,” she said.

Mosweu who graduated in UK two years back said being a contracted player was everything she has been working for. She said it also created opportunities for them to grow the sport to be more competitive and get more recognition worldwide.  ENDS