Botswana Cricket Association has confirmed that its development program for the Under 13 boy’s Southern league tournament which commenced on the 3rd March is well on track.
This program will benefit athletes in the southern part of the country being Gaborone, Ramotswa, Molepolole South, Molepolole North, Thamaga and Mochudi. At least 150 players are participating in the program which will run for 8 weeks.
BCA CEO Girish Ramakrishna says he is hopeful that the program will bring positive results as they need to prioritise identifying talent and developing it. “We need a squad that is competitive which is why we are trying by all means to uproot talent. So far there is reasonable progress and performance I must say,” Girish said.
He also added that this is a two way process for them as administration and coaches as well as for the young players. “The expectation is that we need to see players being eager to learn, practice more and have discipline. They also need to demonstrate hunger and passion for the game,” he added.
While efforts are being made, Girish said there is a need for money to be invested in their development efforts. “We need funding to augment our efforts, and we are hopeful that we will find one with time,” he explained.
The BCA CEO said all that is left is to stay positive and give the boys all the support they need to excel in the sport. “Senior players need to take more responsibility and lead the young boys from the front. Through this they can use them as their role models as they scaffold their knowledge and understanding of the game,” Girish said.
To ensure the boys are ready for the rigors of competitive cricket in future, Girish said they are working out a plan to prepare them for such. “Coaches intend to do more team building exercises and involve psychologists to keep the boys motivated at all times,” he added.
Moreover, he said similar efforts will be put in place for other age groups to streamline the development program.
“As BCA we want to create a resource base of fully trained players so that they can be easily channeled through to the next age limit that suits them,” he added. The expectation is said to be that players need to play more domestic games so that they can get exposure to play outside Botswana.
“Through our program we will have a better and balanced squad ready to play at higher levels, as well as be able to compete with highly ranked teams. It would be good as well if we establish a strong squad of national players for the present and future,” added Ramakrishna.
He concluded that the games, which are played in a T20 format, will continue to be played every Saturday from 9 am till 3:30 pm.
