The national senior women’s cricket team, the Victoria Pearls got their tour of India to a poor start following their 5-wicket loss to Omtex ICWC SR on Saturday at the Omtex Cricket Institute.
Uganda – preparing for their second appearance at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers – got their stay in India with a practice session on Friday, but like their male counterparts – the Cricket Cranes who lost their opening game in the same country during their own preparations last month, they fell to the hosts in their first game.
Having excluded Proscovia Alako and Irene Alumo – two of the national team mainstays from squad, Lawrence Ssematimba, the head coach tried a couple of partnerships.
Esther Iloku, a casual representative for the Pearls, was handed the task of opening the batting alongside Immaculate Nakisuyi.
The two who were opening together for the first time maintained their partnership and went as far as the 10th Over, but once the former fell, it was ease pickings for the hosts.
Janet Mbabazi who came on at No.3 was picked in the very next Over with just a solitary run to her name, and the other opening pair followed right away in the 12th Over.
Stephanie Nampiina who came in for Mbabazi tried to stick in, but she managed just 15 runs after being trapped lbw in the 14th Over.
The openers recorded a decent score of 37, but after wickets falling almost every Over, Uganda added just 30 runs.
Rita Musamali, the reigning USPA Player of the Month, tried to drag the advantage back to her team when she went all attack, scoring three boundaries in the 29 balls she faced, but despite having 6 wickets at hand, Uganda ran out of balls to register a decent score.
Masamali notched a 34*, finishing as the highest scorer for team.
In their defence, Evelyn Anyipo wasted no time in restoring hope to her teammates. The pace bowler picked the first wicket with the 3rd ball of the first Over.
Anyipo found the second in her second Over, but these dried up. The next time Uganda celebrated a wicket was in the 14th Over when Lorna Anyait’s spin was edged at third man for team captain Consy Aweko to catch.
Aweko got her own wicket in the 16th Over, and despite Anyait taking her tally to two in the penultimate Over, Omtex cruised to a comfortable victory with four balls to spare.
Uganda will hope to get their preparations on a positive note on Sunday when they face Zimbabwe, the other African team that will take part at the Global Qualifiers in Dubai.
The Victoria Pearls are in India to refine themselves as they build up to the qualifiers. They will be in Group A alongside Sri Lanka, Scotland, Thailand and the United States in Dubai.
Only two teams from this qualifier will make it to the World Cup that is set to take place in Bangladesh later this year.
