By 
Result
Uganda W 69/9 in 20 Overs
UAE W 71/1 in 13.3 Overs
UAE Women won by 9 wickets
The Victoria Pearls suffered a defeat against the UAE in their warm-up match at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi, marking their first-ever game under the floodlights.
Despite high hopes, the Pearls struggled to find their rhythm, ultimately losing by 9 wickets.
In their previous warm-up match, the Ugandan team had displayed dominance against Vanuatu, winning by 35 runs.
However, they couldn’t maintain that momentum in this match.
Despite having beaten UAE three times in previous encounters, including during the Victoria and Capricorn series last year, the Pearls faced an uphill battle from the start after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Losing four wickets within the powerplay for just 34 runs set them on a challenging path.
Proscovia Alako’s 15 off 35 and modest contributions from Stephanie Nampiina (14 off 31) and Kevin Awino (11 off 18) were insufficient, as the team managed only 69/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Kavisha Egodage led the UAE bowling attack by claiming 2 wickets, while Kushi Sharma delivered an outstanding performance with an economy rate of 1.66 and impressive bowling figures of 1 wicket for just 5 runs conceded in her 3 overs.
UAE chased down the target comfortably, losing only one wicket in the process.
Theertha Satish (26 off 37) and Kushi Sharma (37 off 37) led the charge, with Sharma’s performance earning her the player of the match award.
While it was the Victoria Pearls’ first experience under floodlights, the loss was attributed not only to this but also to the lack of partnerships and poor communication leading to runouts among the top-order batsmen, raising questions about their game awareness.
Looking ahead, the Victoria Pearls must regroup swiftly for their upcoming match against Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers on Thursday April 25, 2024.
Scotland, coming off a win against Zimbabwe, will be aiming to continue their winning streak, while Uganda will seek to bounce back and regain their winning form.
