Victoria Pearls finish sixth at the inaugural ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Cup

At the Terdi Thai Cricket Ground, the Victoria Pearls walked out for their final match of the inaugural ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Cup with a quiet sense of resolve.

Their campaign had woven together promise, frustration, and brief moments of brilliance, and now they stood before one last chance to shape their ending.

Netherlands won the toss and chose to bowl, and the decision paid almost immediately when Esther Iloku fell in the second over.

Uganda steadied themselves through Janet Mbabazi, whose 13 off 14 balls offered a glimpse of calm until she perished off the final ball of the powerplay.

At 26 for 2 after six overs, the Pearls were still searching for a rhythm that kept slipping just out of reach.

The Dutch fielders gifted the occasional errant throw, but Uganda found it difficult to turn these moments into lasting momentum.

Immaculate Nakisuyi’s dismissal for 16 on the last ball of the ninth over meant Uganda reached the halfway mark at 52 for 3.

Rita Musamali’s fall for 11 in the eleventh added to the pressure, and by the fifteenth over Uganda were 74 for 4, still trying to piece together an innings worth defending.

Rita Musamali while batting for Uganda

The 19th over arrived like a cold wave: just one run and the loss of Stephanie Nampiina, who had worked diligently for her 21.

In a surprising reshuffle, Malisa Ariokot was sent in ahead of the experienced Kevin Awino.

Then, almost out of nowhere, came the spark they needed.

Proscovia Alako stepped in and, with fearless intent, blasted 19 runs in the final over.

Her unbeaten 34 transformed Uganda’s total, lifting them to 111 for 6 — a score born not of ease, but of sheer defiance.

With the ball, Uganda struck early, taking a wicket in the very first over of the chase.

Yet the same over leaked 10 runs, a painful reminder of how fine the margins were.

Another wicket in the second over offered hope, but 14 runs in the fourth tilted momentum back to the Dutch.

By the end of the powerplay, Netherlands were cruising at 50 for 2.

A shift came briefly in the eighth over when Uganda claimed a wicket and conceded only a single run, tightening the field and stirring belief.

At 72 for 3 after ten overs, the contest seemed delicate again, balanced between possibility and inevitability.

But Netherlands found their anchors in Sterre Kalis, whose 32 held the innings together, and Robine Rijke, whose composed 36 nudged the chase along. Even Kevin Amuge’s two wickets could not disrupt their progress.

Uganda’s bowlers, usually their most reliable force, faltered with 12 extras — small missteps that grew into decisive cracks.

Netherlands completed their chase with six wickets to spare, securing Uganda’s sixth-place finish in the tournament.

Moments after the game

Yet numbers alone do not tell the full story of the Victoria Pearls’ journey.

They had pushed against stronger opponents from the very start — falling 15 runs short of Scotland while chasing 116, fell to Namibia by 12, were bowled out for 55 against Thailand and lost by eight wickets, but beat Tanzania by seven wickets chasing 54.

Two wins, five losses — but a wealth of discovery in between.

For Uganda, the tournament became a classroom in real time.

They tested themselves against higher-ranked nations, absorbed hard lessons about discipline and execution, and uncovered moments of promise that can be built upon.

Alako’s final-over heroics, the flashes of control with the ball, and the resilience stitched into every comeback — all these form the soil from which a stronger team can grow.

Elsewhere, the day unfolded with UAE defeating Namibia by 28 runs, Papua New Guinea overcoming Tanzania by 20, and Thailand edging Scotland by three wickets.

But for the Victoria Pearls, the real victory lay in what they carried home: clarity, experience, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly what must be done to rise higher next time.

FINAL TABLE STANDINGS