(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Published: Wed 17 Jul 2024, 5:11 PM
The UAE women's cricket team won the ICC Associate Member Women's Performance of the Year award for their outstanding display in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Important victories over the hosts, Qatar and Bahrain preceded a semifinal victory over Hong Kong. In the final match against a strong Thailand side, a thrilling six-run win was earned thanks to the mastery of Kavisha Egodage.
This helped them advance to the global qualifier, which took place earlier in 2024, and the UAE continued to impress, reaching the semifinal stage on the back of some exceptional performances.
The Esha Oza-led team lost the semifinal to the hugely experienced Sri Lanka in a closely fought clash at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium.
“Winning the ICC Associate Member Women's Performance of the Year award is a proud moment for UAE cricket. Over the last few years, we have laid special emphasis on promoting and developing women's cricket and it is heartening to see those efforts have now started to bear fruit," said Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary of Emirates Cricket Board.
“Our team won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers in Malaysia by remaining unbeaten in the entire event. Our current captain Esha Oza performed exceptionally in the tournament. This success has been possible due to the hard work and the training that these girls undergo at our facilities."
Usmani also praised the UAE for their resilience while playing against the more experienced international teams.
“We are happy with the progress of our team as they continue to rise in their rankings while their upward curve is evident from their outstanding performance in the recent ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier in Abu Dhabi where they fought tenaciously till the very end against a formidable opponent like Sri Lanka in the semifinal and came super close to earning qualification for the prestigious Women's T20 World Cup," he said.
“The Emirates Cricket Board will continue to invest further in the development of women's cricket across the country.”
The UAE team are currently in Sri Lanka to take part in the Women's Asia Cup (July 19-28). They will open their campaign in Group A against Nepal on July 19 before facing the star-studded India on July 21 and the formidable Pakistan on July 23.
Group B features hosts Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals.
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