The Kenya Women’s Quadranglular Tournament is on and here’s what has happened so far.
The Kenya Women’s Quadrangular Tournament got underway on 13th December 2022. So far, we have witnessed some interesting encounters. Here’s a quick rundown of the tournament so far.
In the 1st T20I featuring Uganda and Tanzania, in a 10 overs match, Uganda chose to bowl first. Batting first Kenya posted 54/3 on the board. Mary Mwangi was the top scorer with 13 off 21 and a cameo of 11 off 8 helped post the total. Uganda chased down the target with much ease as Prosscovia Alako with her 27 and Kven Awino with her unbeaten 19 helped Uganda win by 8 wickets with 2 balls left.
In the 2nd T20I, featuring Tanzania and Kenya; the former won the toss and decided to bat first. Tanzania posted 90 off 19 overs but the standout batter was Saum Mtae as she put up 36 off 3. Flavia Odhiambo Atieno with her 4/22 was the pick of the bowlers and she was ably supported by Esther Wachira and Melvin Khagoitsa with their two wickets apiece. Kenya ended up on the victor’s side as they chased down the total in 18.1 overs with Queentor Abel guiding from the front with a 35 and other cameos most notably Sharon Juma’s unbeaten 14 that sealed the deal for Kenya.
In the 3rd T20I featuring Qatar and Uganda, on winning the toss Uganda once again chose to bowl first. Qatar was restricted for a paltry 54 with no batter getting to a double-digit score. Irene Alumo continued to impress with her 3 wickets and Sarah Akiteng and Concy Aweko with their two wickets helped restrict the Qatar batters. Uganda wrapped up the proceedings in a mere 9.5 overs as Janet Mbabazi with her 23 0ff 29 and Kevin Awino with yet another unbeaten knock of 21 for her team drove them to the finish line with a memorable win.
In the 4th T20I, we witnessed a high-scoring encounter. Tanzania won the toss and decided to bat first. Posting an imposing 175/4 in their 20 overs quota, Fatuma Kibasu with her 52 off 44 and Saum Mtae with yet another 49 off 33 stood out. Qatar’s batting could not quite handle the scoreboard pressure or the might of the Tanzanian bowling as they ended up with 97/9 at the 20 overs mark and lost by a massive margin of 78 runs. Nsara Nassoro Saidi and Agnes Qwele with their two wickets bowled economic spells that helped their team.
In the battle of the strong teams in the 5th T20I, Tanzania and, Uganda who were on a roll with their wins. This match was going to be nothing short of exciting but it did not live up to the billing. Uganda again won the toss and decided to bowl first. Tanzania could not quite replicate their batting wonders vs Qatar and was skittled for 73 as none of the batters could get going. Uganda however, wrapped up the proceedings without much hassle as they chased down the total in 12.4 overs as Immaculate Nakisuuyi and Stephani Nampiina with their unbeaten knocks took Uganda across the finishing line with their spotless campaign and 3 wins.
In the 6th T20I, Qatar won the toss and decided to bat first. Unable to capitalize on the conditions or the Kenyan bowling, they were dismissed for 39. Queentor Abel and Melvin Khagoitsa with their 3 wickets were impressive. The Kenyan women left no stone unturned and used this as an opportunity to up their NRR as they chased down the total in 5.5 overs giving absolutely nothing away to the opposition. Queentor Abel with her 21* sealed the deal and deservingly won the Player of the Match award.
In the battle of power weights in the 7th T20I, Uganda and Tanzania again squared off but this time around Tanzania ended up winning side by a narrow margin of 14 runs. Batting first on losing the toss, Tanzania posted 116 on the board. Uganda in reply posted 102/8 with good batting performances yet they lost by just 14 runs in what was a scintillating match. Agnes Qwele with her 3 wickets was the pick of the bowlers and helped restrict the Ugandan batting. In the 8th T20I, Kenya won the toss and chose to bat first. They posted a mammoth 166/6 with Venasa Ooko playing a blinder 48 off 28 and Esther Wachira with her unbeaten 47 off 39 helped Kenya. Qatar in reply posted just 81/6 and could not chase the total losing by 85 runs.
With over 4 games left, here’s how the table reads:
Teams |
M |
W |
L |
T |
P |
NRR |
Kenya Women |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
2.610 |
Uganda Women |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
1.227 |
Tanzania Women |
4 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
0.570 |
Qatar Women |
4 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
-4.375 |
The tournament now has crucial matches left
Match |
Date |
Timing (in IST) |
Uganda vs Kenya |
18/12/2022 |
3:00 PM |
Qatar vs Tanzania |
18/12/2022 |
5:00 PM |
Uganda vs Qatar |
19/12/2022 |
1:00 PM |
Tanzania vs Kenya |
19/12/2022 |
5:00 PM |
3rd Place Playoff |
21/12/2022 |
1:00 PM |
The Finals |
21/12/2022 |
5:00 PM |
It will be interesting to see how the tournament progresses and who eventually makes it to the Finals. Uganda and Kenya look on the course but can Tanzania also present themselves as stiff competitors? We’ll have to wait to see!
I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.