The Cricket Cranes secured a thrilling 3-run victory over Bahrain (via Duckworth-Lewis method) in the final match of the three-game series at Jinja Senior Secondary School Oval on Thursday.
The win capped off a successful series for Uganda, who emerged victorious 2-1, providing them with valuable momentum ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B tournament.
Due to rainy weather, the one-day match was reduced to a 30-over contest. Uganda, batting first, capitalized on the opportunity to set a competitive total.
Openers Raghav Dhawan (38 runs) and Obuya Robinson (47 runs) once again laid a strong foundation with a 79-run partnership.
While the middle order faltered slightly, contributions from Kenneth Waiswa (19 runs) and Dinesh Kumar Nakrani (13* runs) ensured a respectable total of 162 runs for 6 wickets on the board.
Bahrain’s bowlers, led by Imran Khan (2 wickets for 30 runs) and Imran Javed Anwer (2 wickets for 28 runs), kept things tight throughout the innings.
Chasing a revised target of 124 runs in 24 overs due to the rain interruption, Bahrain found themselves under early pressure.
The Ugandan bowlers, with disciplined spells from Muhammad Rizwan Butt (1 wicket for 28 runs) and Abdul Majid Abbasi (0 wickets for 20 runs), restricted the scoring rate.
While Shreyas Jayashankar once again top-scored for Bahrain with a well-made 42 runs, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the final overs.
Despite a late flourish from Asif Ali (22* runs), Bahrain fell short by a narrow margin, finishing their innings at 120 runs for 5 wickets.
The victory over Bahrain serves as a crucial warm-up for the Ugandan Cricket Cranes as they prepare to host the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B from November 4th to 16th.
