The ongoing Quadrangular Twenty20 (T20) Series, featuring hosts Uganda, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Namibia, was much awaited, and holding ground against all expectations, the encounters are turning out to be edge-of-the-seat thrillers.
Nepal wins final over thriller over hosts Uganda
In Match No. 3 of the series, Uganda faced Nepal at the Entebbe Cricket Oval, with the latter winning against the hosts by a wicket and a ball to spare in the second innings.
Uganda batted first and failed to live up to their reputation as their batters underperformed under pressure. Player of the Match for the first match, Immaculate Nakisuuyi, was the sole beacon of hope with a grittily made 22, but only two other accompanists made it into double figures.
The opposition bowlers had an upper hand on the innings, with right-arm pacer Puja Mahato taking charge of the bowlers, grabbing three wickets for a mere 14 runs off her four overs. Right-arm medium Indu Barma was equally frugal, giving only eight runs in conceding two key wickets. Uganda therefore could manage a limited 75/7 off their 20 allotted overs.
While batting, Uganda were pushed hard with a dogged bowling display headed by Janet Mbabazi, who delivered an important spell of 3/18 (4). Nepal was unable to get momentum going, losing wickets at regular intervals, but Sana Praveen (17) and Puja Mahato (16) kept them in contention for a successful chase.
They needed six from the last over and showed composure in chipping the required runs to take down the target in a close finish. Puja Mahato deserved the Player of the Match accolade for her all-round show. The match score of 151 runs was the lowest in any T20I game between Nepal Women and Uganda Women.
Hong Kong wins low-scoring thriller over Namibia
In Match No. 4 of the series, the shackles on the bat were finally broken with more than modest totals and a competitive game at the Entebbe Cricket Oval, where Namibia took on Hong Kong in the latter’s first match of the series. It indeed turned out to be a historic match as the aggregate score of 227 is the highest score involving Namibia and Hong Kong in a T20 International game.
In their second game of the series, Namibia put up a competitive 112/6, anchored by a solid batting effort. Yasmeen Khan was the standout performer, top scoring with a steady 35 off 33 balls. The innings began on a stable note, courtesy of a 33-run opening stand between skipper Sune Wittmann (16) and Mekelaye Mwatile (15). Hong Kong employed as many as eight bowlers in an attempt to break Namibia’s rhythm, but only three managed to find success with the ball, with both Kary Chan (2/12) and Mariko Hill (2/9) claiming two each.
Hong Kong’s chase was set up brilliantly by skipper Natasha Miles, who led from the front with a well-crafted 40 (42). Her composed knock kept the innings on track despite Namibia’s efforts to apply pressure.
The finishing touches, however, came in emphatic fashion from Maryam Bibi (19-ball 30*) who sealed the victory in style. Needing 10 runs to wrap up the chase, she wasted no time, smashing two sixes off the first two balls of the final over to take Hong Kong past the target in a stunning finish.
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