Sports
Zimbabwe vs Nigeria: Super Eagles set for crunch World Cup qualifier – Premium Times
Nigeria will on Sunday be looking to bounce back from their opening day draw against Lesotho when they take on Zimbabwe in their second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles were held to an uninspiring 1-1 draw by the lowly-ranked Lesotho in Uyo on Thursday, and they will need to get all three points against Zimbabwe to keep their hopes of qualification back on track.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be looking to cause an upset as they can draw inspiration from the Crocodiles who were able to clip the Super Eagles’ wings despite the latter playing on home soil.
Just like the Super Eagles, the Warriors also secured a point in their opening match and they will be looking to build on that in Sunday’s outing even though they will be playing on a neutral turf in Rwanda.
Team News
After already missing out on the services of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who is out with injury, the Super Eagles have been further depleted up front with the injury suffered by Taiwo Awoniyi.
Awoniyi did not travel with the rest of the squad as he has since returned to England where Nottingham Forest doctors will hope to get him back in shape as quickly as possible.
This development means Coach Peseiro will have to tweak his attacking set-up for the clash against the Warriors
Against Lesotho, it was Awoniyi and Victor Boniface who led the Eagles’ attack but the duo of Terem Moffi and Moses Simon impressed as substitutes.
Unlike Awoniyi, Boniface is expected to keep his shirt.
Simon could replace Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman on the left flank, leaving Moffi as a replacement for Awoniyi.
Kelechi Iheanacho, who captained the team and played well, is likely to start again in Butare.
One of the newest faces in the Super Eagles setup, Nathan Tella, could also be given a chance against the Warriors.
In the backline, despite his crucial equalizer against Lesotho, Semi Ajayi’s partnership with Calvin Bassey continues to concede goals, even against minnows.
Kenneth Omeruo’s experience could be valuable in this tricky tie against the Warriors.
Head-to-Head: Zimbabwe vs. Nigeria
Just like Lesotho, Nigeria enjoys a dominant record against Zimbabwe, winning four of their last seven meetings and drawing two.
Their only loss came over 40 years ago in an international friendly in August 1981.
In the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria secured an emphatic 8-1 aggregate victory over Zimbabwe.
Julius Aghahowa and Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored in a 0-3 win at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, while Obafemi Martins’ brace and Nwankwo Kanu’s penalty were among the goals in a 5-1 triumph in Abuja.
As the Crocodiles have shown, records may be misleading so the Super Eagles need to face the 90 minutes ahead of them squarely and forget all past achievements.
What they are saying
“At this level, all opponents play to win. Even we [Zimbabwe], will play for a win against Nigeria.
“People will expect revenge from Nigeria because they drew their first game [against Lesotho].
“But they are not playing against a small or weak nation. They will come strong, but we will come strong too. We are here to face them.” Zimbabwe coach Baltemar Brito said via the ZFA page.
“We will respond very well (vs Zimbabwe) Now we have to beat Zimbabwe on Sunday,” Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro said.
Players to watch
Nigeria: Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Victor Boniface
Zimbabwe: Knowledge Musona, Tino Kadewere, Marvelous Nakamba
What’s at stake
All three points are up for grabs in this match. A win for Nigeria would put them back on track for qualification, while a win for Zimbabwe would give them a chance to top the group
READ ALSO: How we forced Super Eagles to a draw – Lesotho coach
A draw will put Nigeria in a precarious position if South Africa secures another win over Rwanda in their second game. Bafana Bafana are already dictating the pace in Group C after their win over Benin Republic on matchday 1
Only the group leaders get automatic World Cup tickets.
Nigeria’s probable lineup: 4-4-2
Uzoho; Aina, Omeruo, Ajayi, Onyemaechi; Simon, Onyeka, Iwobi, Boniface; Iheanacho, Moffi.
Match details
Competition: CAF World Cup Qualifiers
Match: Zimbabwe vs Nigeria
Venue: Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda
Date: 19 November, 2023
Kick-off time: 2 pm (Nigerian time)
Prediction
This is a tricky match to call. Nigeria are the stronger team on paper, but they will need to be wary of Zimbabwe’s threat on the counter-attack. The Super Eagles should get a 2-1 win.
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Sports
Mawaba primary school unveils e-learning classroom block – The Zimbabwe Mail
The Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Thursday, commissioned an e-learning classroom block at Mawaba Primary School in Lobengula West.
The new facility will provide learners with access to information and communication technologies (ICTs).
The classroom block was renovated for US$5,000 through a collaboration between the school and its parents. The classroom is equipped with 45 laptops, which the school won under a merit award from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony held at the school under the theme, “Empowering Learners Through E-Learning,” Ward 14 Councillor Dumisani Netha, who was standing in for Mayor David Coltart, said that the city of Bulawayo strives to be a leading smart and transformative city by 2024. He said that empowering education through e-learning facilities is essential to achieving this vision.
Netha applauded the school and the parents for putting together the resources to convert the classroom into such a magnificent learning facility.
“This is a befitting facility to train our learners in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as set out in the smart city concept, national outcomes and requirements provided for by the National Development Strategy (NDS1) and Vision 2030,” said Netha.
“We might pride ourselves on providing our children with such remarkable facilities for e-learning, this is because it is a powerful tool in the modern-day learning experiences as it is a convenient and flexible platform for individuals to acquire skills.”
Netha said that e-learning has great accessibility potential as it offers a wide range of courses and resources. “This accessibility ensures that no one is left behind and learners have an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills while being flexible in scheduling and pacing,” he said.
He said that, unlike traditional fixed classrooms with fixed timetables, in e-learning, individuals can balance education with other responsibilities such as home, sports, and family chores. This allows learners to take control of their learning journey, resulting in a personalized learning experience and increased motivation.
“In the face of envisaged high breed learning, we congratulate Mawaba school and credit to all schools with such projects or are in the process of putting up their internet classrooms. The Education Sector Strategic Plan demands that all schools have user-friendly facilities including disability ramps, ECD classroom blocks, and libraries among other facilities,” said Clr Netha.
“I desire to ensure all council schools and others in our beautiful city implement these requirements as we strive for a smart Bulawayo,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Provincial Education Director for Bulawayo, Sibongile Khumalo, congratulated the school for successfully venturing into e-learning, saying that it is a powerful way to achieve good results.
“Schools are encouraged to embrace online learning as we might appreciate, it comes with several benefits. E-learning is about being able to access education whenever one needs to and from wherever one is. Our competency-based curriculum has embraced ICT and the concept of e-learning is topical,” said Khumalo.
She said that the curriculum has seen the transition of education from being predominantly a face-to-face approach to digital learning platforms where a teacher has merely become a facilitator.
“Through e-learning, learners should be able to take responsibility for their educational progress and access the numerous Ministry endeavours to expose them to as much educational material as possible. These include such platforms as online catch-up strategies, e-learning passport, imfundo endlini, and blended learning, just to mention a few, which are all digital learning programs,” Khumalo said.
She encouraged all schools and their communities to make e-learning a priority in their school development committee budgets.
Source: Cite
Sports
Which teams have qualified for cricket’s T20 World Cup 2024? – Al Jazeera English
Uganda and Namibia became the last of 20 teams to qualify for next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean.
Uganda have made history by qualifying for their first-ever ICC T20 World Cup by securing the last available spot from Africa and completing the 20-team lineup for the tournament to be held in the Caribbean and the United States next year.
Uganda secured their spot by beating Rwanda in the Africa qualifiers on Thursday, pushing out former regional powerhouse Zimbabwe, whom they beat by five wickets on Sunday in their first-ever T20 international win over a full-member team.
Rwanda were dismissed for 65 after being asked to bat first by Uganda, who chased the target in 8.1 overs at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia.
Namibia were the second team to qualify from the region, having previously played in the 2021 and 2022 editions.
Uganda to the World.. The 20th team at the 2024 T20 World Cup is 🇺🇬
Well done, boys! #CricketCranesInColour pic.twitter.com/hybHfqc6VZ
— Uganda Cricket Association (@CricketUganda) November 30, 2023
In total, eight teams have booked their spots through the regional qualifying matches. Ireland and Scotland took the European slots, Nepal and Oman qualified from Asia, Canada qualified from North America and Papua New Guinea took up the East Asia-Pacific slot.
The US will participate in the tournament – their first-ever major ICC event – by virtue of being joint hosts along with the West Indies.
Australia, England, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka qualified on the basis of their top-eight finish in the previous T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Bangladesh qualified by being the two next top teams in the ICC T20 rankings at the end of last year’s T20 World Cup.
The 2024 event will be played in two phases – a knockout round and a main round.
The top two teams in each of the four groups of five will move to a Super Eights phase, where the remaining sides split into two groups of four. The top two in each group will then make their way to the semifinals.
ICC T20 World Cup 2024 teams: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United States, and West Indies.
Sports
Uganda create history, qualify for 2024 T20 World Cup alongside Namibia as Zimbabwe miss out – Firstpost
Uganda confirmed their participation alongside Namibia in the mega event after beating Rwanda in their final game of the African leg of T20 World Cup qualifiers in Windhoek.
Uganda have qualified for their first-ever senior World Cup, ODI or T20I, next year. Image credit: X/@CricketUganda
The Uganda cricket team made history on Thursday by qualifying for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, marking its maiden appearance in a major ICC event.
Uganda confirmed their participation alongside Namibia in the mega event after beating Rwanda in their final game of the African leg of T20 World Cup qualifiers in Windhoek.
The jubilant scenes in the Ugandan dressing room however, signalled heartbreak for Zimbabwe, who narrowly missed out despite beating Kenya in their final game.
The Chevrons, who had famously beaten Pakistan in last year’s T20 World Cup, had also missed out on the recently-concluded ICC World Cup and will not be part of the 2025 Champions Trophy either, meaning they will be missing out on ICC events for three years in a row.
Zimbabwe had earlier done their part by thrashing Kenya convincingly by 110 runs. Sikandar Raza (82) and Sean Williams struck half-centuries to propel their side to 217/4 while the Kenyans could manage just 107/8 in response.
The Raza-led side however, needed Uganda to also lose their final fixture against Rwanda for them to confirm their tickets for the Caribbean and the United States next summer.
The Cricket Cranes, instead, ended up bowling Rwanda out for a meagre 65 and chased the target down in just 8.1 overs with nine wickets to spare to break Zimbabwean hearts.
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