Namibia signed central contract with female cricketers

For the first time, Namibia has signed a central contract with female cricketers. Namibian women cricketers have come under the purview of the central contract alongside their male counterparts, with 10 female cricketers from the national team being included in the agreement. This agreement was signed last February, with the official announcement coming yesterday (Tuesday).

An event was organized at the Namibia Cricket Ground to welcome the female cricketers into this new agreement. Cricket enthusiasts view this entire initiative as a historic achievement for sports in the country.

Johan Muller, the CEO of Cricket Namibia, stated in a briefing, "We have given professional status to female cricket for the first time. This is a significant event for the entire sporting community of the country. Now, for the first time, female players have signed contracts for their profession in cricket."

The complete details of the contract have not yet been presented to everyone. However, 10 female cricketers have come under this agreement. They are: Kayleen Green, Suné Wittmann, Arassta Diergaardt, Edelle Van Zyl, Bianca Manuel, Irene van Zyl, Wilka Mwatile, Meckeline Mwatile, Yasmeen Khan, and Saima Tuhadeleni.

The Namibian cricket team is known as the 'Capricorn Eagles' and is ranked 17th in the ICC Women's T20I rankings. So far, this is their best position. They recently participated in the African Games, where the team had the fortune of winning just one match. However, they failed to proceed to the semifinals.

Namibia qualified for international T20 cricket in 2018. Since then, they have played 72 international matches, winning 44 of them. Previously, in 2019, the team represented the African region in the T20 World Cup qualifiers but failed to qualify for the 2020 tournament.