Left to right: Rachel Andrew, Captain – Selina Solman, Vanessa Vira
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier reached its conclusion with an exhilarating week of cricket hosted at the Vanuatu Cricket Grounds. This memorable event witnessed our esteemed Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu Women’s Team achieving a historic victory, propelling them to the 2024 Global Qualifier.
The tournament saw our national women’s team claim historic victories against Indonesia, who is ranked 20th in the women’s ICC T20I, as well as Papua New Guinea, who is ranked 11th in the world for ICC T20I and is the first time that our national women’s side have won this prestigious event.
Alongside these historic victories, all-rounder Rachel Andrew was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ as well as ‘Batter of the Tournament’ for her incredible performance during the tour. Accompanying her teammate Vanessa Vira, who made her national debut at just 16 years old and was awarded Bowler of the Tournament for taking 11 wickets during the tournament.
Newly appointed Women’s Head Coach, Joshua Rasu commented:
“I think the girls played really well. Stuck to the plan and showcased their abilities brilliantly. I think I made them believe in themselves and they saw the results of how good they are and that they are a force to be reckoned with. They are good cricketers, and they can make it anywhere in the world with their abilities. I am very proud of them, and I know the whole of Vanuatu Cricket is as well. It shows there is a lot of talent in this country.
“I think Rachel and Vanessa are very talented women who dominated this whole tournament with their cricketing abilities, and they deserved these awards. I am so proud of them and how they performed and carry themselves. They have grown so much and can learn each game and improve to another level.”
The Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu Women’s team will now look on to 2024 as they prepare to compete against nine other teams from four different regions including Asia (Thailand, Sri Lanka & UAE), the Americas (USA), Europe (Ireland, Netherlands & Scotland) and Africa (two teams TBC) for a spot at the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh.