- Game 5: Uganda W v Namibia W
- Result: Namibia 148/4 beat Uganda 147/4 by 6 wickets
The perfect game for the Victoria Pearls with the bat wasn’t enough in a run feast with the hosts Namibia.
The hosts won the toss and elected to bowl first, and the Victoria Pearls’ approach nearly made them rue that decision.
Proscovia Alako and Stephanie Nampiina departed early, but Captain Janet Mbabazi (41) and Rita Musamali (22) batted with great intent to keep the scoreboard ticking.
It was the flourishing finish from Immaculate Nakisuyi (43) and Esther Iloku (25) that pushed the score to a daunting total of 147/4, the highest total for the Victoria Pearls in the series.
In the run chase, Uganda struck early by dismissing the dangerous Sune Wittman, but a 92-run partnership between Diergaardt Araasta (49) and Mwatile Mekelaya (49) kept Namibia in control. The two batted with great intent, making sure the Capricon Eagles never got behind the asking rate and took the game deep.
Uganda will be guilty of not being dynamic with their bowling changes when the pressure was on. Two big overs by Sarah Walaza and Consy Aweko cost 29 runs, and that handed the advantage to Namibia, especially Walaza’s over, which was the 18th.
Namibia never cracked under pressure and, in the end, found the winning runs in the 19th to remain unbeaten in the tournament and inflict a second defeat on Uganda.
It was a great game with some good lessons for Uganda, especially how to deal with teams that come after their bowling.
However, there were some good moments, especially the aggression with the bat despite losing a couple of wickets. Uganda stayed on the front foot and made sure they ran well between wickets and complemented it with some boundaries.
Uganda has posted big totals whenever they have been asked to bat first, which should be a confidence booster for the batters.
The Victoria Pearls will play their final game against fellow East Africans Tanzania in their final second-round game of the Capricorn Series.
