Zimbabwe and Namibia have done the hard work early. By winning their respective semi-finals at the Africa Region Division One Qualifier in Windhoek on Thursday, both sides confirmed spots at next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Nepal.
First, Zimbabwe held their nerve against Uganda, squeezing out a 24-run victory built on tidy new-ball bowling and tidy ground fielding. “We kept things simple, nothing fancy,” Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda told local broadcasters. “A length outside off still causes problems, even in T20 cricket.”
Namibia followed in the afternoon, chasing down Tanzania’s 103 with four balls in hand. Wicketkeeper Yasmeen Khan, who guided the pursuit with a measured 37, called the win “a big moment for women’s cricket back home – we’ve spoken about belief, now we’ve shown it.”
Those results mean both finalists advance to Nepal, where ten teams will vie for four places at the expanded 12-team 2026 T20 World Cup in England. They join Bangladesh, Ireland, Thailand, the hosts Nepal and the United States. The remaining three berths will be filled later this year: two from Europe, one from East Asia-Pacific.
Format matters. In Kathmandu the field will be split into two groups of five. The top three from each pool move to a Super Six phase before the semi-finals and final, scheduled between 12 January and 2 February. Matches are set for the Lower and Upper Mulpani grounds – both high, dry and likely to reward wrist-spin.
Neither Zimbabwe nor Namibia have ever qualified for a senior women’s World Cup in any format. Head coach Gary Brent admitted Zimbabwe “still have boxes to tick, especially with our death bowling”. Namibia’s skipper Irene van Zyl was more upbeat: “We know conditions will be different, but momentum counts.”
For Africa, the regional trophy will be decided on Friday. The silverware is nice; the bigger prize, though, is already in the bag.
