Women's Asia Cup 2026: UAE skipper Esha Oza laments lack of game time against full-members
Esha Oza speaks during a post-match presentation (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 30 Aug 2026, 01:19 PM• Read time - 4 mins
Defending champions Sri Lanka got off to a blistering start in their Women’s Asia Cup campaign on Saturday, hammering hosts UAE by nine wickets. Though Sri Lanka’s win didn’t come across as a surprise, the manner in which UAE went down to them spoke volumes about the gulf between the two outfits.
This was only the third meeting between the two teams in the shortest format of the game and the first in two years. Speaking at the post‑match press conference, the UAE captain Esha Oza underlined the lack of game time against the Lankan Lionesses as one of the key reasons behind the mortifying loss.
“Yeah, I think definitely,” said Esha while replying to a query from Mr Cricket UAE on whether the lack of exposure to a top‑rated side like Sri Lanka made the difference.
UAE vs Sri Lanka women head-to-head record in WT20Is
| Team | Result | Margin | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE Women | lost | 11 runs | v SL Women | Sylhet | 2 Oct 2022 |
| UAE Women | lost | 15 runs | v SL Women | Abu Dhabi | 5 May 2024 |
| UAE Women | lost | 9 wickets | v SL Women | Dubai (DICS) | 29 Aug 2026 |
UAE’s last T20I fixture was the summit clash of the Asian Cricket Council Women’s Premier Cup 2026 on June 13, where they went down to Thailand by six wickets. In contrast, Sri Lanka played a white‑ball contest against Pakistan at home, including a three‑match T20I series that ended with the final fixture on August 4. The UAE skipper felt the lack of game time in the lead‑up to the continental event also played a factor in the loss.
“They [Sri Lanka] have played a lot of cricket before coming in as well. The tournaments we played before coming into this tournament were the ACC Premier Cup, where we played the associate teams. And we get this opportunity to play against these top ranks only once every two years. So, I think definitely more exposure to these teams would make us better as a team as well,” Esha added.
The loss to Sri Lanka may have dented UAE’s net run rate (NRR) badly, but it hasn’t bruised their spirit. The hosts have a four‑day reprieve before they take on Indonesia and another three‑day gap before they meet former champions Bangladesh. Esha is confident they can iron out the flaws and get the better of both opponents to remain in contention for the semis.
“Yeah, hopefully that’s our plan. I think now we have quite a few days off. We have five days off. So, we go back to the drawing board. We start working on what didn’t go well. Two points against Indonesia are very important, and then two points against Bangladesh as well. But we can’t think too [far] ahead. We will take the Indonesia game first, and then hopefully things go well in that. And then we take the good things forward for the next game,” Esha added.