Brief History of Mali Women’s National Cricket Team
The Mali women’s national cricket team, nicknamed the ‘Lady Eagles of Cricket’, represent Mali in international women’s cricket. Organized by the Malian Cricket Federation, the team made its international debut in 2015 and has participated in regional tournaments across Africa.
Historical highlights – Mali Women’s National Cricket Team
The Malian Cricket Federation established a national women’s programme in March 2014. Mali, captained by Aminata Diamouténé, made its international debut at the inaugural 2015 North West Africa Cricket Council (NWACC) women’s tournament in Gambia, finishing fourth behind the hosts, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.
In April 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted full Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) status to all its members, marking a significant milestone for Mali women’s cricket as well. They debuted against Rwanda at Kicukiro Oval, Kigali on 18 June 2019.
Tournament Highlights – Mali Women’s National Cricket Team
2015 North West Africa Cricket Council (NWACC) Women’s Tournament:-
Mali finished fourth behind Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Ghana.
2019 Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament:-
Mali’s participation in the 2019 Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Rwanda had a few unwanted records for Mali.
In the opening match on 18 June 2019, Mali was bowled out for just six runs in nine overs, with only Mariam Samake scoring a run. This match set a record as the first international cricket innings with nine ducks on the scorecard. Rwanda chased down the target of seven runs in four balls, winning by ten wickets.
In subsequent matches, Mali was bowled out for eleven runs against Tanzania and ten runs against Uganda, recording the three lowest totals in WT20Is consecutively. Mali finished the tournament without a win, with totals of 6, 11, 10, 30/9, 17, and 14 in their six matches. This performance led to discussions among cricket statisticians regarding the ICC’s decision to grant full international status to all of Mali’s matches.
