Victoria Pearls Struggle with Scottish Cuisine

  Key Information: Coaches Deus Muhumuza and Brian Masaba believe the Pearls have once more fallen victim to the choke and release...

 

Key Information:

Coaches Deus Muhumuza and Brian Masaba believe the Pearls have once more fallen victim to the choke and release syndrome at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok.

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Uganda's top women's cricket squad fell short of a groundbreaking win against Scotland following a shaky batting performance, resulting in the Victoria Pearls losing by 15 runs at the ICC Women’s Emerging Twenty20 International Championship in Thailand on Thursday.

Coaches Deus Muhumuza and Brian Masaba believe the Pearls have once more fallen victim to the choke and release syndrome at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Bangkok.

Scotland seemed poised for a strong batting score, reaching 103-3 after 15 overs, but a remarkable over in which Janet Mbabazi took three wickets (3/17 in three overs) disrupted their momentum.

Scotland conceded six wickets for just four runs in three overs, managing to score only 115-9, thanks largely to opener Darcey Carter's unbeaten 54 off 50 balls.

The target appeared achievable for Uganda's batting skills, and although Mbabazi scored a duck off the second ball, they maintained an advantage for extended periods but ultimately faltered.

"They lacked the killer instinct, as we mentioned earlier, the choke and release syndrome," Muhumuza stated.

"You have the opposition on the ropes, and before you realize, you let up. I believe they tend to ease off, and it usually occurs towards the end of the match. We need to stay vigilant," he said with a grimace.

In the last two meetings during the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2018 held in the Netherlands, Scotland dismissed Uganda for 43 runs and then achieved a nine-wicket victory by reaching the target within seven overs.

At the same event in Dubai, UAE, last year, world-ranked 11th Scotland achieved a massive score of 161-3, but dismissed Uganda for 52 runs in 12.2 overs. Mbabazi's team took to the field hoping to change the situation after Scottish captain Sarah Bryce won the toss.

Spinner Consy Aweko (1/19) achieved the initial success of dismissing Ailsa Lister on the seventh ball, followed by Ellen Watson being caught at long-on by Sarah Akiteng (1/29) at the end of the sixth over, and then Bryce (5 from 6) was dismissed 17 balls later.

"Last time we faced Scotland, they managed to score around 160. It's a strong bowling performance for the bowlers to limit them to 115 today," Mbabazi said.

Carter and Megan McColl (32 from 22) formed a revival partnership of 50 runs that appeared to be vital before the wickets fell.

In the second innings, Uganda also experienced consistency as Esther Illoku (24 from 33) and Immaculate Nakisuyi (36 from 42) formed a resilient second-wicket partnership of 63 runs, while Rita Musamali contributed an unbeaten 20 off 24 balls, but it still appeared insufficient.

"The speed at which we lost our second and third wickets set us back," said Mbabazi. "We now have hope and belief that we can defeat a team like Scotland, provided we focus on the small details. It's a significant confidence boost, and it gives us the morale and energy needed to move forward into our next game tomorrow (today)," she added.

Uganda, placed 17th, will face 18th-ranked Namibia at Terdthai Ground this morning, hoping to climb higher.

ICC WOMEN’S EMERGING TROPHY

FRIDAY FIXTURES IN BANGKOK

5.30am: Netherlands vs. UAE, Asian Institute of Technology Ground

5.30am: Thailand versus Papua New Guinea, Terdthai

9.45 am: Namibia versus Uganda, Terdthai

9.45 am: Scotland versus Tanzania, AITG

RESULTS

Scotland Women 115/9 Uganda Women 100/6

(Scotland Women secured a 15-run victory)

Namibia Women scored 118/5 while Tanzania Women achieved 119/2

(Tanzanian women secured victory by 8 wickets)

Papua New Guinea Women 94/5 UAE Women 95/2

(UAE Women secured a 5-wicket victory)

Thailand Women 117/7 Netherlands Women 94/10

(Thailand Women secured a 23-run victory)

 

       

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