Uganda won the Quadrangular Women’s T20 Series and they edged out Kenya in what was a riveting contest. The Quadrangular Tournament happened in Kenya from 13th December to 21st December 2022.
Featuring Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Qatar; the tournament featured some quality encounters with all teams putting up admirable performances. Uganda had a brilliant run in the group stages of the tournament winning five out of their 6 matches and Kenya was a close second winning four out of their six matches. Tanzania on the other hand had a topsy-turvy tournament winning three matches and losing three while Qatar ended the tournament on a dismal not losing all six of their matches and ending up fourth on the table.
The finals of the tournament had table-toppers, Uganda and Kenya square off. Kenya won the toss and elected to bat first and they did not have the best possible outing. Getting dismissed for 80, Kenya did not have any of their batters fire. Mary Mwangi, Veronica Abuga, and Sharon Juma got starts but they were not able to capitalize and Daisy Njoroge was the silver lining with her knock of 21 off 17. Uganda’s bowling was brilliant and economical as Evelyn Anyipo was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets and was well supported by Concy Aweko and Janet Mbabazi who scalped 2 wickets each. Irele Alumo and Sarah Akiteng with their solitary wickets also chipped in.
Uganda chased down the target with 6 wickets to spare but the run chase was not without hiccups as their opener Kevin Awino was dismissed early on and a fantastic partnership between Prosscovia Alako and Esther Iloku helped Uganda but their dismissals with Janet Mbabzi cheaply for 1 meant Stephani Nampiina and Immaculate Naskisuuyi had to step up and they did as they chipped in with their calm and calculated knocks of 14* and 18* that sealed the deal for Uganda. For Kenya, the pick of the bowlers was Mary Mwangi with three wickets and Levendah Idambo scalping one.
A look at the tournament at large presents us with interesting facets. In the top 5 run-getters, we have the Tanzanian duo of Fatuma Kibasu (221 runs) and Saum Mtae (173 runs), the Qatar duo of Saachi Dhadwal (135 runs), Aysha (124 runs) and Hudaa Omary (124 runs) of Tanzania. In the top 5 wicket takers, we have Perice Kamunya (10 wickets), Flavia Odhiambo (10 wickets), Janet Mbabazi (9 wickets), Agnes Qwele (9 wickets) and Irene Alumo (8 wickets). Uganda was deservingly crowned as champions because throughout the tournament, they were consistent and what was fascinating is how they presented a team effort in all the matches. All in all, the tournament was wonderful as a lot of good cricket was witnessed and the associate nations also got an opportunity to showcase their talent and give indicators of the untapped potential they possess.
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.