Vanuatu announces squad for ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup Qualifier

A promising group of young female cricketers has been selected to represent Vanuatu at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier in Port Moresby.

This marks a significant milestone for Vanuatu cricket, with the team qualifying directly for the event for the first time and earning the opportunity to compete against the region’s best for a place at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The Junior Girls Cricket Competition brought together young athletes for an exciting day of cricket, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

The selected squad of 14 to represent Vanuatu is:

Susan Stephen (Captain)

Zhuren Ata Anna Griffin

Nesline Karu

Sharron Kenni

Rineth Lengsau

Augustine Mansale

Rosalinda Mansale

Maya Matautaava

Jaime Molisa

Claudia Nguyen

Jude Poilapa

Maselin Thompson

Juliette Wenitong

The squad has emerged off the back of the Interchange Vanuatu Cricket Academy and the recently introduced Junior Girls Cricket Competition, which has seen strong participation across Port Vila and provided a clear pathway into national selection.

Vanuatu Cricket Association High Performance Manager and National Head Coach Chris Laffan said the group had earned their opportunity.

“This is a really exciting moment for our female cricket program. To now be eligible to compete in this event for the first time shows the progress being made in women’s cricket in Vanuatu,” Laffan said.

“The girls have come through our junior programs and have put in the work over a sustained period. Now they have the chance to test themselves against some very strong opposition in the region.”

The tournament will feature Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji and Indonesia, with all teams competing for a single qualification spot at the World Cup.

The selected players will face a challenging schedule against some of the region’s best teams:

• Wednesday 8 April – Vanuatu vs Samoa

• Thursday 9 April – Vanuatu vs Papua New Guinea

• Saturday 11 April – Vanuatu vs Fiji

• Monday 13 April – Vanuatu vs Indonesia