USA's struggles in Uganda continued on Saturday as a feisty Namibia outfit powered by captain Sune Wittman with the bat and Arrasta Diergaardt with the ball kept the USA Women winless. 

Photo credit: Cricket Uganda

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
A rocky start to the Victoria T20 Series in Uganda continued on Saturday morning as USA Women suffered their first ever T20I loss to Namibia, going down by eight runs on a day where Namibia’s aggressiveness at bat and in the field overwhelmed a comparatively timid effort from the Americans. Arrasta Diergaardt was named Player of the Match for Namibia after recording her maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is, including two in the final over, to help repel a late charge from USA. 
 
USA won the toss and chose to field first, making three changes to their lineup a day after they lost to Rwanda. Pooja Ganesh was dropped following a poor shot which resulted in an lbw dismissal for 0 while the fast bowling tandem of Maahi Madhavan and Lekha Shetty were rotated out in favor of Geetika Kodali and Jivana Aras. 
 
Namibia had struggled mightily with the bat a day earlier against Uganda, ending on 73 for 9 in that encounter, but looked like a totally different outfit against USA as captain Sune Wittman set the tone in the Powerplay with a fearless approach. After two boundaries in the fourth over against Aras, the USA medium pacer struck back to get Merczerly Gorases with a sliced drive that was pouched safely by Taranum Chopra at backward point for 12 to make it 26 for 1. 
 
But Wittman continued to swat and sweep relentlessly against USA’s spinners. She left an opening in the eighth over when a top-edged sweep against Ritu Singh floated toward Aras at fine leg, but the chance on 25 was spilled while Aras was backpedaling from the ring and it allowed a stand with Mekelaye Mwatile to keep growing. Wittman capitalized on the error by launching Singh over the boundary in the 10^th and again in the 12^th over as Namibia sat comfortably at 74 for 1. 
 
The 48-run stand between the two finally came to an end in the 13^th over as Sainavi Kambalapalli had Mwatile overbalancing on a missed drive and was stumped for 22. Kambalapalli continued to spin USA back into the match in the 15^th when Wittman fell in identical fashion for 44 as Ella Claridge completed a second razor sharp stumping before Diergaardt missed a drive first-ball and had her leg stump knocked back to put Kambalapalli on a hat-trick at 85 for 4 in the 15^th. Kayleen Green went in the following over, chipping Chopra’s offspin to Kodali at midwicket for 5 to make it 89 for 5. 
 
But Namibia’s middle and lower order continued to chip away, ultimately adding 27 runs across the final four overs. USA captain Aditi Chudasama briefly slowed Namibia’s momentum in the 19^th over with a pair of wickets. Sylvia Shihepo dragged a drive onto her stumps for 7 before Edelle van Zyl skied a slog that fell safely to Kodali at midwicket in the ring two balls later to make it 105 for 7 at the end of 19. Wilka Mwatile swung the pendulum back to Namibia though with a six off Chopra over wide long-on during an 11-run final over as Namibia ended on 116 for 8. 
 
Kambalapalli ended with 3 for 16 off four overs to lead USA with the ball. Chudasama claimed 2 for 22 off her four. Chopra returned 1 for 28 off four while Singh conceded 0 for 21 off four but had Wittman dropped off her bowling. Aras was USA’s most expensive bowler, finishing with 1 for 22 off two. Kodali was tidy with her two new-ball overs to end with 0 for 7. 
 
Just like a day earlier against Rwanda, USA’s opening combo struggled to find the boundary in the Powerplay. It wasn’t until the fifth over that Chetna Pagydyala finally succeeded, launching Mekelaye’s left-arm spin over long-on for a four. But for the second day in a row, Pagydyala was on the receving end of a poor lbw decision as a back of a length ball which appeared to clearly pitch outside leg stump delivered from over the wicket by Diergaardt. However, the appeal was upheld to dismiss Pagydyala for 16 at 24 for 1 with one ball left in the Powerplay. 
 
Kambalapalli survived a dropped return chance on 6 in the following over after a toe-edged slap back toward offspinner Victoria Hamunyela was grassed. However, Isani Vaghela was not as fortunate when she flicked a full toss off her legs and picked out Eveleen Kejarukua at deep backward square leg to fall for 7 and gift a wicket for Shihepo at 35 for 2. USA’s circumstances became even more dire one ball later when new batter Claridge played across the line to a straight ball and was given lbw for the second day in a row to make it 35 for 3 after seven. 
 
Nikhar Doshi entered at No. 5 and teamed with Kambalapalli for USA’s largest partnership of the day, adding 33 runs for the fourth wicket to keep the chase afloat. Doshi connected on a pair of sweeps against Hamunyela and Mekelaye to find the boundary as USA ended the 13^th at 65 for 3. At the other end, Kambalapalli had just survived a second chance when a skied pull off Mekelaye was shelled at midwicket on 18. But Doshi’s stay ended in the 14^th when she played too early driving away from her body to a slower ball from Diergaardt and was bowled through the gate for 19 to make it 68 for 4. 
 
Gargi Bhogle entered at No. 6 and lasted four balls, including a survived runout chance before she slapped a length ball off Diergaardt to Wittman on the ring at mid-off to make it 77 for 5. Kambalapalli’s sluggish graft finally ended on the last ball of the 17^th when she charged Hamunyela and drove a simple catch to Wittman at long-on for 33 off 45 balls to make it 87 for 6. 
 
At this stage, USA’s hopes of winning looked bleak with the equation requiring 30 off the final three overs. But Singh found the boundary off Shihepo during a 10-run 18^th to keep USA alive. Yet Singh and Chudasama could only scratch out five runs from the 19^th, leaving 15 to get off the final over. Diergaardt came back for her final over and slammed the door shut. Singh was runout by van Zyl from deep square leg coming back for a non-existent second run on the first ball of the over. Chopra then drove her second ball to Mekelaye at extra cover to give Diergaardt a fourth wicket and leave USA needing 14 off three balls. A two by Aras kept USA mathematically alive before a three on the fifth ball of the over unofficially clinched the win for Namibia. The final ball made it official when Chudasama slogged a pull that landed into the safe hands of Wilka Mwatile at midwicket as USA ended on 108 for 9 off their 20 overs. 
 
In addition to Diergaardt’s 5 for 21, Shihepo ended with 2 for 17 off two overs while Hamunyela claimed 1 for 19 off four. The new-ball pair of Wilka Mwatile and Kejarukua kept USA’s batting lineup in check, conceding 0 for 18 and 0 for 15 respectively off four overs each. 
 
In the afternoon game of the quad series, Uganda stayed unbeaten by holding on to defeat Rwanda by 6 runs. Rwanda entered the final over needing 11 to win to chase down a target of 100, but in spite of a no ball over waist height to start the final over, they scored nothing off the free hit and could only manage three runs off the bat in the remainder of the over. 
 
USA returns to action on Sunday as they take on Uganda in the afternoon match of the quad series doubleheader.