Ariokot, Musamali star as Uganda Open Victoria Series with win over Namibia
The tone was set by the bowling unit, led by Malisa Ariokot, who took three wickets as Namibia could only manage 73/9 in their 20 overs.
Uganda Victoria Pearls' Rita Musamali (left) bats against Namibia during a Women's Victoria T20I Series match at Entebbe oval, November 6, 2026. Uganda won by 4 wickets. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
Uganda defeated Namibia by four wickets to open their Victoria Series account on a positive note at the Entebbe Cricket Oval on Friday.
The tone was set by the bowling unit, led by Malisa Ariokot, who took three wickets as Namibia could only manage 73/9 in their 20 overs.
Uganda did well to restrict Namibia to less than 100 runs, but the visitors almost redeemed themselves with a spirited start in defence of their total, forcing Uganda to scramble before the hosts eventually secured a four-wicket victory, scoring 74/6 in 19.3 overs.
Uganda Victoria Pearls' Kevin Awino (right) bats against Namibia during a Women's Victoria T20I Series match at Entebbe oval, November 6, 2026. Uganda won by 4 wickets. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
Uganda lost four wickets in the first six overs, but the innings stabilised when batting all-rounder Rita Musamali pulled her side out of trouble with a steady, unbeaten knock. Musamali's 41 runs off 55 balls were commendable, and she admitted that patience and an understanding of the wicket were key to her performance.
"I feel so happy about the win because in the first overs we were a bit behind, but I came up and stepped up and won my team the game," said Musamali.
She showed great composure, building partnerships along the way, even though some of them were short-lived.
The USA team discuss tactics before a Women's Victoria T20I Series match against Rwanda at Entebbe oval, November 6, 2026. Rwanda won by 14 runs. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
Namibia captain Sune Wittmann was pleased with how her players fought but disappointed that they could not finish the job.
"It was a tough game out there. We know this wicket is not a high-scoring one, and hats off to the ladies, who put up a good fight, but unfortunately, we ended up on the losing side. The bowlers did a good job, backed by the fielding unit," she said.
Wittmann admitted that their inability to post a competitive total was the main reason they failed to defend their score.
The Rwandan cricket team react before their match against the USA during a Women's Victoria T20I Series match at Entebbe oval, November 6, 2026. Rwanda won by 14 runs. Photo by Michael Nsubuga
Victoria Pearls captain Janet Mbabazi commended her bowling unit for putting Namibia under pressure.
Uganda returns to action against Rwanda in the afternoon fixture in Entebbe on Saturday.
Victoria Series
Namibia 73/9 in 20 overs
Uganda 74/6 in 91.3 overs
Uganda won by 4 wickets
Fixtures
Namibia v USA 9am
Rwanda v Uganda 2pm