Victoria Pearls win Easter T20 Series unbeaten
Uganda’s Victoria Pearls took care of business in the final game of the series at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe with an 11-run win against the visiting USA team. The result would not have mattered much because the series was already won by the hosts, but there was pride on the line for the visitors […] The post Victoria Pearls win Easter T20 Series unbeaten appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
Black News 
- Easter T20 Women’s Series
- Final Game: Uganda 101/5 beat USA 90 all out by 11 runs.
Uganda’s Victoria Pearls took care of business in the final game of the series at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe with an 11-run win against the visiting USA team.
The result would not have mattered much because the series was already won by the hosts, but there was pride on the line for the visitors who wanted to win in front of their ambassador.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bowl first. Janet Mbabazi (36) lost her opening batter Stephanie Nampiina early, but she hung in long enough to put on the highest score of the innings.
However, the run scoring for hosts was not fluid, and they batted in the same gear for most of the innings; only the back-to-back boundaries from Malisa Ariokot helped them to get just over 100 in their quota of 20 overs.
The total could have been less if the visitors had held onto their catches, especially a simple one from Rita Musamali at the beginning of her innings; she finished unbeaten on 21 from 32 balls.
In the run chase, the USA came out positive and only lost their first wicket with 25 runs on the board, but the slow nature of the wicket dictated terms, with the slow options derailing their charge.
Immaculate Nakisuyi (4/17) was the pick of the bowlers, and she had the young Irene Mutonyi (3/15) cleaning up the tail. The visitors were just short of their target by 11 runs in the series that was dominated by the hosts.
In the end, there were lots of lessons for both sides, the USA heading to Rwanda for the Challenge Cup while for Uganda, the big deal is the Emerging Cup later in the year.
The Ugandans tested some new combinations, such as Stephanie Nampiina opening the batting and Esther Iloku showing that she can survive in the middle.
Sheila Namagoba, the youngest player on the team, showed she is still learning at the top level, but she looks like she has something to work with.
Kevin Awino batted in the top when she wasn’t keeping wickets and Esther Iloku kept wickets more often than the usual.
Consy Aweko spent more time on the bench than usual, and Sarah Akiteng was the go-to bowler in the series. She eventually won the MVP award for her 13 wickets in the tournament. Rita Musamali, her teammate, won the best batter award, her consistency throughout paying off without any big figures.
The opportunity to try new combinations was greatly influenced by the exclusion of T20i status from the series, which meant the pressure of losing ranks was not on the cards for any of the teams. It was a sign that good things can come from being flexible, and hopefully, by the time the Emerging Cup comes around, there will be clarity for the players on what is required of each of them.
The post Victoria Pearls win Easter T20 Series unbeaten appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
