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Day one of the second edition of the Victoria Series bowled off with tournament favourites UAE and Uganda hitting the ground running with comprehensive victories over Kenya and Rwanda, respectively.
Chaya Mughal led from the front in the absence of her trio of teammates that arrived just today from the Fairbreak event in Hong Kong to marshal her troops against a spirited Kenya side picking up a 15-run win first up.
This 15-run was deficient and can be unearthed in the difference in power plays, as UAE was 37/2 with four boundaries.
At the same time, Kenya only managed 22/2 with just one boundary, which left too much for the Kenyan mid-order to attempt to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
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The afternoon fixture, billed as one of the big games of the Victoria Series, turned out to be such an anticlimax, with Rwanda enjoying short-lived joy only from winning the toss.
The Ugandan fast bowling duo of Irene Alumo & Evelyn Anyipo did considerable damage by rattling the Rwandan top order to have their feet stuck in the mud at 12 runs for two wickets after six overs.
At this point, Uganda had their opponent right where they wanted them and continued to tighten the noose, skittling them out for a meagre 61 runs.
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15:24 - 18.04.2023
VICTORIA SERIES Victoria Pearls ease past Rwanda
Hosts Uganda got their Victoria series tournament off to a winning note with a seven-wicket win over neighbours Rwanda on Tuesday afternoon at the Lugogo Cricket Oval.
This game was won in the power play bowled by Uganda, setting up an easy 7-wicket victory for the Victoria Pearls and a mammoth 2.5 Net run rate first up.
Tomorrow should be nothing short of exciting, with a full-strength UAE hoping to put daylight between them and the chasing pack while the other three teams will be hoping to get some points on the table.
United Arab Emirates versus Tanzania
The arrival of ICC Female Associate cricketer of 2022 Esha Rohit Oza and two others should be the much-needed boost to give the UAE charge for Victoria Series glory momentum.
Not the most convincing display from the 15th-ranked women’s team today as they will feel they nearly stepped on a banana pile and will hope to trounce a team ranked just one place below them, knowing a win for Tanzania could earn the victor of the 15th world T20 women’s ranking.
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12:49 - 18.04.2023
VICTORIA SERIES UAE get off the mark against Kenya
The United Arab Emirates got off to a 15-run victory over Kenya on Tuesday in the first game of the Victoria Series at the Lugogo Cricket Oval.
Tanzania, a nation that has dominated women’s cricket in this region for over a decade, will be hoping to use this event to buttress that position and silence any living doubters out there.
Tanzania was notably one of the first nations to draw focus to women’s cricket. It will hope that decade-long sacrifice can finally yield tangible returns led by a seasoned campaigner and great servant of Tanzania cricket Fatuma Kibasu.
Kenya versus Rwanda
Two East African teams that started on the wrong foot could not pick up a victory on day one.
Still, Kenya will feel better about their performance today against the UAE, unlike Rwanda, which will feel their performance today didn’t reflect the progress and hard work this generation of players has achieved in the last 12 months.
Tomorrow though, offers yet another opportunity for the teams to come out and showcase their abilities in a battle of the lowest-ranked teams in this tournament with a similar likely effect of the result for T20 ranking points supremacy with everything to gain for Rwanda.
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Unlike Kenya, with a lot more to lose beyond just the result. If there has ever been a game for the team captains to stand up and be counted, I don’t see it get
FACTS
The fixtures of day two don’t only carry 2 points for the winners but, importantly, have the effect of direct T20 ranking positioning for rank 15 & 25, respectively.
Esha Rohit Oza, the ICC Female Associate cricketer of 2022, has hit 21 sixes and has NEVER ducked in her 44 innings played for the UAE.
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