Esha Oza says the UAE’s crushing tri-series win in Windhoek is evidence the national team are making definite progress in the women’s game.
The UAE dominated a tournament that included Test nation Zimbabwe, as well as a Namibia side that had soundly beaten them the last time the sides met.
Since that 4-2 series loss to the Namibians in Dubai last year, the national team have enjoyed some notable highs, as well as some painful lows.
They were within 15 runs of a shock win against Sri Lanka and making it to what would have been a home Women’s T20 World Cup.
Following that rousing display in the World Cup Qualifier, they then went to the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka with hopes soaring over causing an upset. What followed, though, were limp defeats against India, Pakistan and Nepal.
Their performance in bouncing back in Namibia spoke much of the character of Oza’s young team. They lost just once, and that too only narrowly against Zimbabwe, and won the other five matches in the three-team tournament.
Oza said her side were determined to show their improved results – including a last-ball win against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago – were not by chance.
“People could say it was a fluke and a one-off,” said Oza, who herself scored 84 in one of their two wins against Zimbabwe in Windhoek. “Even before this series, we had only beaten Zimbabwe once, and people could say that was a fluke, too, that we had just had a good day.
“But now we have beaten them twice out of three games, and the one we lost also went to the last over, so it shows it is no fluke. It is our hard work paying off. We are progressing well as a team.”
While the wins against Zimbabwe will have been more widely appreciated, given their status as full members of the ICC, the successes against Namibia were gratefully received by the UAE, too.
Their last meeting had come at a seminal moment for the women’s game in the Emirates. It was the first series in which Oza was taking over the captaincy from Chaya Mughal.
“Getting the better of them 3-0 this time was great,” Oza said. “The tournaments we had played coming up to this series – the global Qualifier and the Asia Cup – we have put the lessons from those to good use now.
“We are executing our plans a lot better, and we know a lot better what we need to be doing. We set a few goals that we wanted to achieve in this tournament, and we ticked so many boxes.
“The way we played our cricket, we were more fearless [compared with] how we had been before, and that showed in the results.”
Oza acknowledged that her side had been dejected after their performance in Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup, but said they still have a clear idea of where they want to get to.
“There were high expectations, especially after the Sri Lanka game,” Oza said. “We had high expectations that we could roll over one of the top sides, and also that we could perform better against Nepal, but we couldn’t do either.
“We were disappointed for a bit, but it just means you have to get up again and work harder. That’s what we did. When we met up again for our next training session, we said, ‘These are the things we want to work on’.
“They might not work straight away, and it might take six months to play the way we want to, but it is about giving it everything and seeing how it works out. If you don’t try doing that, it is never going to happen.”
In Windhoek, the UAE batters breached the 140-run mark in two of the six matches. Theertha Satish, the wicketkeeper-batter, was the leading run-scorer in the campaign with 245 runs at an average of 61.25 and a strike-rate of 141.61.
“Something we talked about was playing more attacking cricket,” Oza said. “If you see the scores around the world, women’s T20Is have evolved. It is no longer a game if you make 120. You need 140 on the board.
“It is the same in franchise leagues. Teams aren’t stopping at 120. You see 120 scored in The Hundred, and that is only 100 balls.
“Coach Ahmed [Raza] has been insisting we work on improving our strike rates, and playing more freely and attacking, especially in the Powerplay and towards the end of the innings.
“Even with the ball, we used to be more conservative with the way we bowl, and now we are more attacking. We are attacking the stumps, even if the batters are going after us. That is working for us as a team.”
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The%20specs
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Racecard
2pm Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m
2.30pm Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m
3pm Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
3.30pm Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m
4pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
4.30pm Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m
5pm Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
5.30pm Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m
The National selections:
2pm Arch Gold
2.30pm Conclusion
3pm Al Battar
3.30pm Golden Jaguar
4pm Al Motayar
4.30pm Tapi Sioux
5pm Leadership
5.30pm Dahawi
HEY%20MERCEDES%2C%20WHAT%20CAN%20YOU%20DO%20FOR%20ME%3F
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Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
