Uganda's spinners, led by Player of the Match Sarah Akiteng, turned back the clock to the bad old days of USA Women's blowout defeats as the American tourists were embarrassed by their hosts at Entebbe Oval on Sunday. 

Photo credit: Uganda Cricket Youtube

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Uganda, left-arm spinner Sarah Akiteng picked up her second consecutive Player of the Match award against the USA Women, wiping out USA’s middle and lower order with 4 for 12 as USA were bowled out for 59 in a 64-run loss to the hosts on Sunday afternoon at Entebbe Oval. Chasing a target of 125, USA put forth a limp batting display with the only two boundaries of their innings coming off the bat of opener Sainavi Kambalapalli before the left-right spin tandem of Akiteng and Consy Aweko ripped through USA’s batting order in an innings that lasted just 16 overs. 
 
USA started the day off brightly in the field when Gargi Bhogle ran out Uganda captain Janet Mbabazi with a direct hit from point on an attempted tight single in the second over of play. But that was a fleeting moment of joy during what became an increasingly dull and spiritless performance on both sides of the ball. Stephanie Nampiina reasserted control for Uganda by striking four boundaries during her 20 off 19 balls. She fell top-edging a sweep off Ritu Singh’s offspin that was juggled but eventually held onto for a catch by Nikhar Doshi to make it 32 for 2 in the sixth. 
 
Immaculate Nakisuuyi and Rita Musamali then constructed a methodical 61-run third-wicket partnership to put Uganda in total control. The pair bided their time waiting for a weak link in the USA attack, quietly accumulating to take Uganda to 49 for 2 at the halfway point before Nakisuuyi pounced on Kambalapalli’s legspin in the 11^th, striking her for two boundaries during a 13-run over that shifted momentum strongly in favor of the hosts. 
 
USA looked progressively more ragged in the field as the innings wore on and Nakisuuyi survived what should have been a straightforward catch on 28 when a skied drive off Singh toward long-on was badly misjudged by Isani Vaghela, who ran in only for the ball to land behind her and bounce over the rope for four. Rather than have a new batter to face, Singh conceded a three off the next ball to Nakisuuyi before Musamali ended the over with another boundary to complete at 14-run frame. 
 
Taranum Chopra briefly stemmed the tide by claiming both set batters in the 16^th. Nakisuuyi was beaten in flight coming down the pitch and was bowled for 35 while Musamali missed a sweep and was given lbw for 26 to make it 94 for 4 with 27 balls to go. 
 
But Uganda added another 30 runs during the remainder of the innings. Esther Iloku should have been runout for 8 in the 18^th over, but after giving up halfway down the wicket when Proscovia Alako failed to respond to a call for a tap and run single to point, Lekha Shetty’s throw to wicketkeeper Pooja Ganesh was wild enough to escape Ganesh’s attempted collection and allowed Iloku to continue. It opened the door for an 11-run 19^th over in which Iloku scooped Shetty over fine leg for a boundary. 
 
USA captain Aditi Chudasama dismissed Iloku for 17 in the final over when a full toss was miscued to short third where Kambalapalli took a simple catch. Malisa Ariokot swept her first ball for four before falling two balls later on the final ball of the innings as a slog sweep was safely held by Singh at deep midwicket. 
 
Chopra finished with USA’s best figures on the day, returning 2 for 18 off four overs. Chudasama claimed 2 for 22 off her four. Singh started with 1 for 7 off her first three overs before her fielders let her down resulting in a final scoreline of 1 for 21 off four. Kambalapalli followed up a solid performance on Friday with a less impressive display against the full-strength Uganda side to end with 0 for 17 off two overs. The pace duo of Jivana Aras (0 for 14 off two) and Shetty (0 for 29 off four) also went wicketless. 
 
Kambalapalli survived a botched runout chance in the first over of USA’s reply when she had yet to score, in near identical manner to Iloku’s letoff in the first innings, when a throw from mid-off sailed over the keeper Kevin Awino’s head despite Kambalapalli being at the non-striker’s end with Doshi. In spite of there still being plenty of time to complete the wicket, a second throw from fine leg was also wild at the striker’s end with Kambalapalli still several yards short of returning to her crease. 
 
Kambalapalli managed to hit two boundaries after her reprieve, the latter of which came after charging down the wicket to loft Aweko over mid-off. But Aweko struck back on the very next ball, getting a flat-footed Kambalapalli to play an ill-judged swipe across the line to a good length ball and get bowled for 13 to make it 15 for 1. 
 
Fellow opener Doshi had been bogged down at the opposite end and decided to take multiple risks between the wickets in an effort to generate runs. She survived a clear runout chance by Alako at mid-off in the fifth over when on 2, but paid the price for taking on Ariokot fielding at the same position in the sixth over as a direct hit connected with Doshi five yards short of her ground to fall for 3 at 23 for 2. 
 
Chetna Reddy Pagydyala was flummoxed by a flighted offbreak from Nakisuuyi in the seventh and poked a leading edge that carried comfortably to Irene Mutonyi at extra cover for 7 to make it 26 for 3. Ganesh should’ve been out two balls later playing a gentle flick to Mutonyi at midwicket, but the chance was spilled lunging forward. 
 
Having not scored a boundary since Kambalapalli departed in the fourth, Vaghela charged down the wicket trying to clear the ropes against Mbabazi but only managed to pick out Nampiina at long-off for 14 to make it 43 for 4 in the 11^th. That sparked a sequence of three wickets for one run as Akiteng replaced Mbabazi in the attack and switched ends following her first two overs only to find more success in her third over. Ganesh miscued a drive off a thick edge to point for 6 to begin the 13^th over before Singh’s natural aggression backfired when she was bowled for a second-ball duck on a failed heave across the line to make it 44 for 6. 
 
Aweko replaced Akiteng for the 15^th and became the third Uganda bowler to find success from that end of the ground, taking two more wickets. Chudasama went onto the back foot to cut on a ball that turned in to bowl the USA captain for 2. Bhogle went back and across and missed a leg side flick before being given lbw for 4 to make it 53 for 8. 
 
Akiteng came back for the following over after switching ends once more and took the final two wickets to close out play. Aras prodded down the wrong line to be bowled for 1 at 56 for 9. After Shetty survived a runout chance coming to the crease at No. 11, Chopra sliced a skied chance to backward point for an impressive over the shoulder catch to be taken by Mbabazi to end the match. 
 
Aside from Akiteng’s Player of the Match haul, former captain Aweko ended with 3 for 13 off her four overs. Nakisuuyi took 1 for 8 off three overs while captain Mbabazi was the only seam bowler to claim a wicket as she ended with 1 for 9 off two. Mutonyi’s miserly opening spell of 0 for 2 off two overs went unrewarded while fellow new-ball bowler Ariokot finished with 0 for 13 off her two. 
 
USA returns to action on Monday against Uganda A in their fourth match of the Easter Cup.