{
  "id": 6389954,
  "title": "Esha Oza: UAE need more matches against Test-playing nations if they are to progress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/esha-oza-uae-need-more-matches-against-test-playing-nations-if-they-6389954",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-09T06:06:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/2026/09/09/esha-oza-uae-need-more-matches-against-test-playing-nations-if-they-are-to-progress/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UAE Women's cricket team needs more matches against top Test-playing nations to improve, suggests captain Esha Oza. During their Women’s Asia Cup group match against Bangladesh, the UAE showed promising signs of progress before falling short. Suraksha Kotte's excellent bowling in the powerplay disrupted Bangladesh's attempts to challenge the UAE. However, despite a strong start, the UAE could only manage 69-9 in reply to Bangladesh's 103-7. This loss prevented the UAE from reaching the semi-finals against India later in the tournament. Oza acknowledged the need to address the team's batting shortcomings and emphasized the importance of more fixtures against leading cricket nations. She believes more matches would provide valuable experience and help the UAE batters adapt to the style of play and decision-making required to compete at a higher level.",
  "summary": "Esha Oza says the UAE need more matches against cricket’s elite if they are to turn narrow losses into wins over top sides. For half of the match in their final Women’s Asia Cup group match against Bangladesh on Tuesday night, they seemed bound for an upset. Suraksha Kotte bowled brilliantly in the powerplay as Bangladesh, who are former winners of this competition, struggled to bring the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Esha Oza: UAE need more matches against Test-playing nations if they are to progress",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/esha-oza-uae-need-more-matches-against-test-playing-nations-if-they",
        "published": "2026-09-09T06:06:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}