The UAE’s dream of reaching the Women’s T20 Asia Cup may have ended with a 34-run defeat to Bangladesh on Tuesday, but skipper Esha Oza remains confident about the future of the young team.
Bangladesh brought all their experience to the table to overcome a spirited challenge from the UAE bowlers in the do-or-die Group B clash at Dubai International Stadium.
After off-spinner Suraksha Kotte (4-0-11-3) delivered an outstanding performance to put the UAE on top, restricting Bangladesh to 6-55 in the 12th over, Sharmin Akhter rose to the challenge beautifully at Dubai International Stadium.
Akhter’s superb 31-ball 38 ensured Bangladesh reached a competitive total of 103 for seven on a slow wicket.
Having lost the momentum after Akhter’s knock, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the UAE batters to keep their semifinal dream alive.
And Bangladesh just kept delivering blow after blow with the ball. When Rinitha Rajith became the third wicket to fall at 22 in the eighth over, the writing was on the wall.
The 2018 champions showed their class with the ball to restrict the UAE to 69 for nine.
Leg-spinner Rabeya Khan (4-0-14-3), medium-pacer Marufa Akter (4-0-9-2) and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter (4-0-18-2) exploited the conditions beautifully, never allowing the home batters to find any sort of rhythm.
Bangladesh’s reward is a semifinal clash against seven-time champions India on Thursday.
The UAE, on the other hand, would look back on their third Asia Cup appearance with pride, having earned only their second win in tournament history when they beat Indonesia.
Skipper Esha admits that with a bit more experience in batting, the UAE can challenge elite teams a lot more in future.
“I think more matches (against top teams) would definitely help. Playing more matches brings experience and learnings,” Esha said at the post-match press conference.
“What we learned from them today is how they built a partnership after being under pressure when they lost their first six wickets. That’s something we required today but couldn’t pull off.
“So what can bridge the gap between us and the full members is our batting.
“The more we play against those kinds of bowlers, I think we would get better as batters as well. That would help us improve our decision-making and maybe even help us believe in ourselves a bit more — that when we face them, we can get the better of them as well.”
Esha said captaining the UAE on their home ground is a dream come true moment for her.
“I think it’s an honour to lead any side, and it’s an honour to lead the UAE team. I think the bunch of girls that we have are committed. They eagerly want to go out there and perform, and they’re always trying their best whenever we have these knockout, crunch games,” she said.
“And to be able to play in front of friends and family — I think having that ‘UAE, UAE’ chant when we were on the field, something we have not had before, was a different experience.
“We’ve come here, we’ve watched the (2024 T20 Women’s) World Cup, and we’ve thought, ‘We want to be there.’ So, this time around, it was great that the Asia Cup happened at home and we were there. We were on the field.
“Would have been even happier if we had finished on the winning side today. But, again, experiences and learnings, and, yeah, there’s a long way to go for the team.”
Source: Khaleej Times