Stephanie Nampiina took home the Player of the Match award after Uganda’s 3-run win over Namibia on Tuesday.
In the finals of the Capricorn Eagles Quadrangular Series, Nampiina scored 22 runs but it was her bowling that sunk the Namibian.
The hosts needed 13 runs from the final over, an achievable score, but Victoria Pearls’ captain Consy Aweko made a tactical decision that paid off.
Irene Alumo was expected to bowl the final Over. She had at this stage bowled three, and it was expected that she would take charge of the final six balls.
That’s not what happened. The skipper handed the responsibility of bowling to Nampiina.
“Giving Nampiina to bowl was a personal decision. The two batters had already gotten into the game, and all they needed was to take advantage of pace,” Aweko noted.
“I gave Nampiina knowing that she would use her spin to reduce the runs plus the chances of us losing the game,” Aweko explained her decision.
Nampiina who had earlier in the Innings dismissed Adri Van Der Merwe through a sole runout conceded nine runs in the final Over.
But, she recovered well and recorded a dot ball off the last ball. And that was just enough for Uganda to emerge champions.
“I’m happy we were able to win. As batters, we have not been doing great in this tournament, but today we got reasonable runs,” Nampiina said.
The triumph means the Victoria Pearls have won two major trophies in the space of two weeks.
The Pearls took their expedition to Namibia after winning the Victoria Series that was held here in Kampala last month.
By: Rose Agwang
Courtesy Photos
