It is all systems go as Uganda Cricket Association prepares to host the second edition of the Victoria Series set to bowl off on April 16 at the Lugogo cricket oval.

Five teams including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and UAE are set to take part in this tournament that is designed to develope and promote women cricket.

The Victoria Pearls have been undergoing drills at both the cricket oval and the hockey grounds in Lugogo as part of their preparations for this event.

“The hotels are already booked, suppliers booked. We are now working on the ground to get it ready on time.” Joshua Mwanja, the tournament director told the Sports nation on UCA’s readiness to host the event.

The Series is one of the practice tournaments leading up to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers set to be held in South Africa in September. Mwanja emphasized on its importance

“We want to improve our ranking from 21 to somewhere lower. UAE and TZ are ahead of us. If we will all matches especially against those two, then we’ll improve our ranking greatly.”

The Victoria Pearls will be competing for the first time since their triumph in Nairobi at the Kenya Invitational Quadruple T20 in December last year.

They will look to outcompete Tanzania, the same way they did in Kenya, and UAE, the other side ranked ahead of Uganda.

With Zimbabwe, the defending champions of this series, sitting out this edition due to other engagements, a new team will be crowned champions. The Victoria Pearls will want to be that team as they look to retain the East African bragging rights.