Brief History of Gambia Women’s National Cricket Team
The Gambia national women’s cricket team represents Gambia in international women’s cricket. Since playing their first international cricket match in 2015, they have been striving to establish themselves on the global stage. In April 2018, ICC granted full Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) status to all its members, resulting in all T20 matches played between Gambia women and other ICC members after 1 July 2018 would be recognized as full WT20Is.
Historical Highlights – Gambia Women’s National Cricket Team
The Gambia Cricket Association opened a women’s academy on July 22 at Square in Banjul in 2008 after the ICC Africa regional office mandated development programs for women’s cricket around 2007. This initiative marked the beginning of structured women’s cricket in Gambia.
The inaugural North West Africa Cricket Council (NWACC) Women’s Twenty20 tournament was held in Gambia in 2015. In spite of the disruptions brought about by the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa, the national team defeated both Ghana and Mali and finished as runners-up to Sierra Leone. The Medical Research Centre (MRC) Ground in Bakau, which was in bad shape at the time, served as the venue for the matches. The women’s team from Gambia continued their participation in the NWACC competitions, taking part in the Ghana-hosted 2016 event.
Tournament Highlights – Gambia Women’s National Cricket Team
Gambia played their first WT20I match at the 2022 Nigeria Invitational Women’s T20I Tournament. Their debut match was against Nigeria on 29 March 2022 at Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos. Competing in a round-robin format, Gambia faced teams from Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. Despite their efforts, they were unable to secure a victory and finished last in the tournament.
Squad – Gambia Women’s National Cricket Team –
| Hawa Badjie |
| Kumba Bah |
| Marie Sambou |
| Fatoumata Singhateh |
| Haddy Wally |
| Awa Bobb |
| Secka Dibba |
| Fatou Faye |
| Catherine Mendy |
| Marie Mendy |
| Maimuna Sano |
| Fatou Ceesay |
| Tida Kassama |
| Sosseh Sano |