Uganda’s cricket team, the Cricket Cranes, had a tough start at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They played against Afghanistan and lost by a big margin of 125 runs. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran made a strong start with their batting. They scored 76 and 70 runs respectively. Fazalhaq Farooqi from Afghanistan took five wickets, making it hard for Uganda to score.
Uganda chose to field first after winning the toss. They did well to limit Afghanistan to under 190 runs in the first innings. Brian Masaba, Uganda’s captain, hoped to chase a manageable target. However, Afghanistan’s strong batting made it difficult.
In the second innings, Uganda struggled to score. Robinson made the first six runs for them in the tournament. But Farooqi from Afghanistan took two quick wickets, putting Uganda under pressure. Naveen-ul-Haq also took two wickets in his first over, leaving Uganda in a difficult situation with only 18 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.
“Listening to our national anthem and seeing our flag at the World Cup has been an incredibly special moment, one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. While our first game at the World Cup brought nerves, it’s a learning experience that will make us stronger for the challenges ahead.” – Captain Masaaba
Although Uganda faced a tough defeat, they showed promise in their first T20 World Cup match. They will have another chance to perform better against Papua New Guinea on Thursday at 2:30 am (EAT).