Skipper Janet Mbabazi led by example as she captained the Sipi Trekkers to the recently-concluded Women’s Cricket Elite League title triumph.
To win the tournament, Sipi Trekkers beat off stiff challenge from the Itanda Kayakers, the runners-up and the Bujagali Rafters, who finished third overall in the T-20 format of play.
Mbabazi, who was the best player in the finals, is one of the first names on the women’s national team. She is actually one of stars that helped the team’s performance improve last year.
She attributed her improvement to the level of cricket in the elite league.
Mbabazi, however, acknowledged the display of her younger opponent, Proscovia Alako of the Itanda Kayakers. The teen star, who was a top batter in the tournament, was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The Women’s Elite League is one of the strategies taken by the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) to make the sport more competitive.
UCA tournament director Davis Karashani explained that the lack of quality domestic competitions has undermined the country’s chances of being competitive at international level so the elite league comes in handy to improve players.
Accordingly, UCA has organized a similar competition, the Men’s Elite League, which starts on Thursday, January 26 at the Lugogo Oval.