Cricket: Kenya battle UAE in Victoria Series T20 opener
National Cricket Team players (from left to right) Tiara Charity, Flavia Atieno, Mercy Ahono, Monica Ndhambi and Josephine Adhiambo pose after their training session was called off due to wet conditions at Sir Ali Muslims Club on April 14, 2023.
What you need to know:
- The last time Kenya clashed with UAE was in December 2016 in the final of the International Women’s T20 Cup in Sharjah, with Kenya winning by five wickets.
- But it is the UAE who head into the match as favourites, since they are ranked eight places above Kenya at 15th with 4093 points and a rating of 132 in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20I rankings.
Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will Tuesday clash in the opening match of the second edition of Victoria Series at Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala, Uganda.
Rwanda, Tanzania and the hosts are the other teams that will feature in the six-day women’s Twenty20 International (T20I) contest, which will be played in a round-robin format.
The match between Kenya and UAE will bowl off at 9:30am EAT after which Uganda and Rwanda will face off at the same venue from 1:30pm.
The last time Kenya clashed with UAE was in December 2016 in the final of the International Women’s T20 Cup in Sharjah, with Kenya winning by five wickets.
But it is the UAE who head into the match as favourites, since they are ranked eight places above Kenya at 15th with 4093 points and a rating of 132 in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20I rankings.
Kenya, coached by former international player Francis Otieno, are 23rd with 2171 points and a rating of 87.
Tanzania is the top ranked team at 16th with 2124 points and a rating of 112, while Uganda and Rwanda are 21st (2910 points and 100 rating) and 26th (1448 points and 60 points) respectively.
It will be the first time that Kenya will be in action since December 21 last year when they lost to Uganda by six wickets in the final of the Quadrangular T20 Series that also involved Qatar and Tanzania.
“We have watched their games and they have really improved. We expect a tough match against them and we are going to give it our all just like with the rest of the teams,” said Kenya’s captain Sharon Juma.
Otieno traveled to Kampala with a 14-woman squad and three reserve players, who include debutantes Charity Muthoni (wicket keeper), Lynz Nabwire (bowler) and Marion Juma (bowler).
With the squad dominated by young players, the coach said that their main goal in the competition is to expose the players. But he noted that they will strive to play in the final.
“Being a young squad, it needs a lot of shape up, so we are not looking at winning in Uganda but to give the young players exposure, and confidence. We are building for the future,” said Otieno last Friday, adding that the rainy season in Nairobi interfered with their training.
UAE are using the competition to promote and develop women’s cricket. They will also compete in the Capricorn Women’s Quadrangular 2023 in Namibia from April 25 to May 2 in Namibia.
“Our aim would be to take maximum advantage of these two events and test our cricketing skills, fitness and game awareness with an aim of lifting the two trophies. We have worked hard in recent days and have focused extensively on skill development and fitness, I am confident that the team will fare well on both tours,” UAE captain Chaya Mughal was quoted by UAE Cricket Official.
With defending champions Zimbabwe not taking part in the competition, Uganda’s captain Consy Aweko said their target is to be crowed winners.
“We are happy to host the tournament after a very long time (2019). We have been playing many games to prepare us so the team is in good shape. We believe that we will give our best and at the end of the day we want to stay with the trophy at home,” said Aweko.
Fixtures
Tuesday: UAE v Kenya 9:30am
Uganda v Rwanda 1:30pm
Wednesday: Tanzania v UAE 9:30am
Kenya v Rwanda 1:30pm
Thursday: Kenya v Tanzania 9:30am
Uganda v UAE 1:30pm
Friday: Uganda v Tanzania 9:30am
Rwanda v UAE 1:30pm
Saturday: Uganda v Kenya 9:30am
Rwanda v Tanzania 1:30pm
Sunday: Final