When things are going well, the natural rule of life is that there is little to learn therein. On the flip side, the biggest lessons lay in adversity and overcoming challenges.
Within the spaces of cricket in the country, the feeling was there was relatively less effort spent to beat visiting Canada 5-0 in the Victoria Women’s Twenty20 International Bilateral Series at Lugogo Oval over the last week.
The Victoria Pearls lived on in crucial control mode as they won all five T20Is, skipper Janet Mbabazi lifting the trophy at lunchtime last Sunday.
Of course, most teams or athletes from Uganda are normally underdogs or less favoured, but not the Pearls this time. ‘Winning becomes a habit, and the wins earn the Victoria Pearls a ranking point,’ Victoria Pearls’ coach Deus Muhumuza opined positively.
They simply vindicated their advantage in the International Cricket Council (ICC) women’s T20I rankings with both bat and ball.
The structure of these global rankings is so important that it is on which, global funding from ICC bases.
The T20Is against Canada tutored by Rizwan Cheema felt like a walk in the park for Uganda, even if the visitors grew into the game. But 18th-ranked Uganda maintained its key position by beating Canada, which is ranked 33rd.
When a team below the other picks up a result, they gain several T20I ranking points while wins for a higher ranked team yielded few points. Hence, Muhumuza and his assistant Brian Masaba needed to win all the matches.
Otherwise, they risked dropping the standings. Currently, the structure shows that the top 18-ranked teams in women’s T20 cricket receive at least $250,000 (Shs870m) in annual funding from ICC.
Yet, Uganda also needed some competition to test its unit before the Pearls play the ICC Emerging Trophy Championship in Thailand this month.
‘A good international platform to gauge players’ adaptability to individual and team responsibilities,’ Muhumuza described the Series in Lugogo.
On both occasions Uganda batted first, they made triple digits with some commendable partnerships. Skipper Janet Mbabazi managed 90 runs in five innings and only Canada captain Armapal Kaur beat her 118 runs.
Rita Musamali and Immaculate Nakisuyi took up significant batting responsibility in critical moments before Proscovia Alako showed some progress with batting at six.
With the ball, medium pace bowler Kevin Amuge maximized home conditions with the new ball, thereby finishing as the best bowler with 10 wickets and 75 dot balls in a combined 20 overs.
‘The opening bowlers getting early breakthroughs, top-order batters trying to bat through, and better field sets. These are all signals of team growth and awareness,’ Muhumuza remarked.
There is however, some work to do before the Emerging Trophy set to run in Bangkok from November 18 – December 1. ‘At times, we aren’t as clinical as we would like when it comes to finishing games. Once we are in control, a tendency to relax gives opponents a chance to come back and win the game,’ added Muhumuza.
This showpiece will feature top eight women’s associate members, including the five teams with ODI status – Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, Thailand and UAE as well as three other highest-ranked teams in ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings as of May 1, 2025.
The other three competitors are Uganda, Namibia and Tanzania.
OTHER COLLATED RESULTS
Uganda 100/6 | Canada 82/10
(Uganda won by 18 runs)
Canada 67/10 | Uganda 68/3
Uganda won by 7 wickets
Canada 82/6 | Uganda 83/6
Uganda won by 4 wickets
Uganda 113/4 Canada 70/9
Uganda won by 43 runs
Uganda 101/4 | Canada 89/10
Uganda won by 12 runs
Uganda won series 5-0
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Player of Match (5th WT20I): Jane Naume Amongin (Uganda) – 3/12 and 2 catches
Best Batter: Amarpal Kaur (Canada) – 118 runs @ 39.33, Highest Score: 37
Best Bowler: Kevin Amuge (Uganda) – 10 wickets, 83 runs in 20 overs, 75 dot balls, Best Bowling: 3/7
Most Valuable Player: Immaculate Nakisuuyi (Uganda) – 81 runs, 4 wickets, 5 fielding dismissals (251 points)