An eight run victory in Gaborone gave the tourists six wins from nine matches, despite a determined response from the hosts.
BONGANI MALUNGA
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) defeated the Botswana Men’s Select Team by eight runs in Friday’s final Twenty20 match at the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) Oval in Gaborone. The result completed the visitors’ nine match tour with six victories and three defeats.
CLOSE FINISH
MCC posted 182/5 from their 20 overs, setting Botswana a target of 183. The Baggy Blues pushed the contest into the closing stages but finished on 174/7, while visiting captain Will Butler was named Player of the Match.
The London club won five of the tour’s eight T20 matches and the solitary 50 over fixture. Its strong finish followed a series in which Botswana recovered from two early defeats to bring the T20 contest level.
EARLY MCC ADVANTAGE
In the opening match, MCC restricted Botswana to 99/7 and reached 102/5 in 18.1 overs. The visitors then dismissed the hosts for 102 before scoring 105/3 in 14.2 overs to secure a seven wicket victory in the second encounter.
Botswana responded by winning the next two games. The hosts posted 132/5 and bowled MCC out for 103 to win by 29 runs, then defended 150/8 under floodlights by restricting the visitors to 138/7 for a 12 run victory.
TOUR DECIDED
The teams traded wins in the next two T20 matches, leaving the series level at three victories apiece. MCC won the final two games to take the T20 contest 5-3 and also claimed the separate 50 over match through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
Botswana’s three wins demonstrated an ability to compete against experienced visiting opposition. The tour provided exposure to pressure situations against players with experience in England’s professional and recreational game.
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The visit also formed part of MCC’s international cricket development programme. Beyond the fixtures, it included coaching sessions, school visits and community engagement initiatives.