Namibia Women captain Suné Wittmann was disappointed to see her side fall short against host Uganda, but she had plenty of praise for her players after a spirited performance in their opening match of the 2026 Victoria Series at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe on Friday morning.
The Capricorn Eagles pushed defending champions Uganda’s Victoria Pearls all the way before losing by four wickets, but Wittmann believes the result did not tell the whole story of a contest in which her bowlers and fielders gave their best.
“I think it was a tough game out there. We know this wicket is not a very high-scoring wicket. So, hats off to the ladies,” Wittmann said after the match.
“They put up a big fight. It’s unfortunate to get on the losing side this time around. But I think the bowlers did a very good job, backed by the fielding unit.”
Namibia had their moments, particularly with the ball, but their batting effort left them with too little to defend.
After losing the toss to Uganda captain Janet Mbabazi, who chose to field, Namibia were sent in to bat and struggled to settle against a disciplined Ugandan attack.
They managed just 73 for nine in their 20 overs, with Naomi Benjamin’s unbeaten 20 off 33 balls providing the backbone of the innings.
Wittmann made 11 off eight deliveries, hitting a four and a six, while wicketkeeper Merzerly Gorases also scored 11, needing just four balls and finding the boundary twice.
However, their promising starts did not translate into a substantial total. Gorases was the first to go, bowled by Consylate Aweko Nimungu, before Wittmann was caught by Rita Musamali off Sarah Walaza.
Mekelaye Mwatile managed only two before falling to Consylate, while Kayleen Ann Green (four) and Arrasta Diergaardt (five) also departed cheaply as Namibia slipped to 36 for five.
The pressure continued as Edelle Van Zyl made five from 21 deliveries and Wilka Mwatile added six before both were dismissed. Victoria Hamunyela scored one, while Eveleen Kejarukua was run out for three. Saima Tuhadeleni remained unbeaten without scoring.
Namibia’s innings included five extras.
Malisa Ariokot was Uganda’s standout bowler, taking three wickets for just nine runs in four overs. Aweko claimed two for 20, while Sarah Walaza, Mbabazi and Immaculate Nakisuuyi picked up one wicket each.
Despite the small target, Namibia refused to make life easy for the hosts.
Uganda’s chase got off to a terrible start when Mbabazi was bowled for a duck by Wilka Mwatile on the second ball. Wilka struck again to remove Proscovia Alako for two and Stephanie Nampiina for six, leaving the hosts struggling at 13 for three inside the third over.
The visitors sensed an opportunity and continued to apply pressure. Eveleen Kejarukua dismissed Esther Iloku for one before Mekelaye Mwatile removed Immaculate Nakisuuyi for three to leave Uganda at 36 for five.
But just when Namibia threatened to turn the game around, Rita Musamali stood firm.
The Ugandan batter showed patience and composure, carrying her bat with an unbeaten 42 off 55 deliveries, including four boundaries. While wickets continued to fall at the other end, she kept Uganda’s chase alive.
Kevin Awino contributed seven before falling to Kejarukua, while Malisa Ariokot remained unbeaten on six to help Uganda cross the line at 74 for six in 19.3 overs.
Wilka was Namibia’s best bowler, finishing with three wickets for nine runs in four overs. Kejarukua took two for 12, while Mekelaye claimed one wicket.
For Wittmann, the early breakthroughs were encouraging, but the failure to put enough runs on the board eventually caught up with her team.
Asked where Namibia had lost control of the game after restricting Uganda to 25 runs in the powerplay while taking early wickets, she did not hide what she felt was the biggest problem.
“Obviously, I think we didn’t have enough runs on the board, even though it’s a low-scoring ground. We had said we would be happy with going at around six runs a ball, so 120 plus. Obviously, we didn’t have enough runs on the board,” she said.
She was, however, quick to return to the effort of her players, insisting that their performance with the ball deserved recognition.
“I think they put up a very hard fight. There were some unfortunate calls in the field, but sometimes that happens. I think we started off well with the ball in hand.”
With another game coming on Saturday morning, Namibia have little time to dwell on the defeat. The team must regroup, assess the conditions and prepare for a different opponent.
Wittmann said they would take useful lessons from the opening match, particularly about how the Entebbe wicket and playing surface behaved.
“Obviously, we have to go back and plan. It’s a different team that we’re playing against. We can take things from this match regarding the conditions, how the wicket is playing and how the ground is playing,” she said.
“We are obviously going back to plan for tomorrow.”
The defeat may have denied Namibia a winning start, but their captain will take heart from the fight her players showed and hope to get to a winning front against the USA on Friday morning.