The Fiji women’s national cricket team faced a tough defeat in their second pool match against Indonesia at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier held at Albert Park in Suva yesterday.
Despite putting in their best effort, Fiji fell short by 42 runs as Indonesia posted a total of 143 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, while Fiji managed to score 101 runs in 19.3 overs.
Team manager Mereoni Uluiviti acknowledged the challenging game but remained positive, stating that they would use this experience to learn and improve for their next match against Vanuatu on Friday.
She emphasised the need to address weaknesses, particularly in fielding, and minimize mistakes in order to come back stronger in the competition.
“It was a great match, we started off well yesterday on (Tuesday), after our match yesterday I told the girls we need to reset,”
“It was a very challenging game against Indonesia; we will try and look at our weaknesses and try and improve during our next game on Friday against Vanuatu.”
Uluiviti highlighted the contribution of overseas-based players Tabatha Saville and Semaema Lomani, expressing gratitude for their presence in the squad and wishing them the best for the upcoming games.
“Our opponents Indonesia was too good, in terms of ranking for are ranked higher than us, we are still struggling from the bottom ranking, but it was a good game.
“We need to minimise our mistakes in terms of our fielding; it’s still the pool games so we are trying to work on our mistakes and come back stronger.”
With Vanuatu posing as a formidable opponent, Uluiviti stressed the importance of focus and determination.
“Vanuatu is also a good team, we have played them in couple of tournaments, and we just need to focus on the game, and do our best.”
The team manager also expressed gratitude to the supporters who showed up to cheer for the girls during the match, noting the positive impact their encouragement had on the players.
She urged fans to continue showing their support for the team in the upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, in another match, Japan defeated Samoa by 71 runs. Team Fiji will take on Vanuatu at 1.30pm tomorrow.
