Baby Victoria Pearls’ World Cup dream on

Team Uganda’s dream to play at the second ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup appears to be a realistic one following a stellar start to their qualification campaign in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Baby Victoria Pearls are riding high after winning all their three Group A matches in the Africa Qualifiers against Namibia, Kenya and the hosts Rwanda. 

And they are two matches away from securing the coveted slot to the U-19 T20 Women’s World Cup set to be hosted by Malaysia from January 18 to February 2.

Uganda must beat Zimbabwe in the afternoon semifinal on Saturday at the Gahanga International Stadium and then find its way past either Nigeria or Rwanda in tomorrow’s final.

Luckily, the marks of little experience at the senior level for about half of the squad tutored by coach Yusuf Nanga and his assistant Ivan Kakande are certainly on show.

A bunch of players like Lorna Anyait, Malisa Ariokot, skipper Jimia Muhammed, Patricia Timong and Asumin Akurut have had stints with the senior sides, some even travelling to play the T20 Global World Cup Qualifier in the UAE early this year.

“Generally, the body language is good and we look forward to the semifinals,” remarked Kakande after Wednesday’s 46-run victory over Rwanda.

And in that encounter Uganda was bowled out for 102 runs with Ariokot making 33 runs off 24 balls and she was pivotal in a 35-run stand with Naome Amongin (15 off 13) for the fifth wicket.

“It wasn’t that quite exciting because we lost a couple of wickets in the middle there,” said Kakande.  

With the ball, right-arm off-break bowler Anyait has been superb with her parsimonious figures of 7/6 and a maiden in three overs leaving Kenya bowled out for 37 runs in 13.5 overs before Uganda won by nine wickets on Tuesday.

Anyait has 11 wickets to her name but her counterparts like Immaculate Nandera and Irene Mutonyi must pose bigger questions to Zimbabwe’s opener Beloved Biza.

Biza has knocked 126 runs in her three matches in Group B including a half-century of 86 runs off 57 balls in their opening 144-run win over Malawi. “We will try to fight and make the final,” added Kakande.

Uganda missed out on qualification to the first World Cup held in South Africa in 2023 after they were beaten by Rwanda by 56 runs in the qualifier semifinal in Gaborone, Botswana in September 2022.

ICC UNDER-19 WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP

AFRICA QUALIFIERS - SEMIFINAL FIXTURES

SUNDAY - AT 2.50PM

Uganda vs. Zimbabwe, Gahanga

Nigeria vs. Rwanda, IPRC

TEAM UGANDA’S COLLATED RESULTS

Uganda 128/6 Namibia 79/10

(Uganda won by 49 runs)

Kenya 37/10 Uganda 41/1

(Uganda won by 9 wickets)

Uganda 102/10 Rwanda 56/10

(Uganda won by 46 runs)

GROUP A STANDINGS

Team              Pld      W        L         NR      Pts       NRR

Uganda           3          3          0          0          6          2.760

Rwanda           3          2          1          0          4          0.400

Namibia           3          1          2          0          2          -0.620

Kenya              3          0          3          0          0          -2.659