PAV Soweto Pioneers beaten but not out, says Ntozakhe
Alex cricketer Raisibe Ntozakhe and her PAV Soweto Pioneers side in the Diadora Jozi Cup look forward to their next game after the loss to The Renegades.
Alexandra’s foremost women cricketer Raisibe Ntozakhe’s side PAV Soweto Pioneers may have lost to The Renegades in the Diadora Jozi Cup at the Randburg Sports Complex on May 19, but she still looks forward to the next games of the winter’s premier cricket carnival.
Even though they were beaten in this game, Ntozakhe praised her side’s performance so far, the Diadora Jozi Cup, as good but also poked a few holes in her side’s performance on the day, which she hoped if well executed, they could have triumphed.
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Speaking after the team’s loss, Ntozakhe, a DP World Lions player and Diadora Jozi Cup ambassador said, “Our game did not go according to plan. We batted first but we didn’t put enough runs on the board which totalled a mere 108.
“While we missed some of our senior players, our youngsters came in and stepped up and tried their best to restrict the Renegades. But for the Renegades to reach the target in just the 15th over, that showed a remarkable performance and their fielding and bowling were good.”
Ntozakhe said though they lost, she thinks it was one of those losses that they would not necessarily be angry at, ‘as we took it on the chin, but we are disappointed that certain milestones were not reached – I mean if we had scored 140 or more, we could have defended that’.
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“I am proud of the girls who thoroughly enjoyed this well-run tournament. We won two of our four matches, so we still have a long way to go and I hope we will show tremendous improvement next season.”
Ntozakhe said it was a good game though – so great to have youngsters who are willing to listen, learn and adapt – they are open and keen to be mentored which is extremely rewarding.
“I cannot wait for the upcoming games as this is turning out to be an interesting tournament with so much talent on display. Bowling-wise, I didn’t get any wickets, but I believe I bowled well and didn’t go for too many runs. We move on now though – ready for the next game.”
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