The Cricket Cranes began their week-long tour of South Africa in style, beating a DP World Lions XI by five wickets at the TuksCricket Oval in Pretoria on Sunday.
The victory sets the tone for Uganda’s build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, which starts September 19 in Harare.
Uganda bowled first after winning the toss and quickly took control. Left-arm seamer Juma Miyaji led the way with three wickets for 23 runs, while Cosmos Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani and Henry Ssenyondo claimed two apiece. The Lions were dismissed for 109 in 19 overs.
Debutant Gaurav Tomar then struck 35 from 27 balls to launch the chase, with Robinson Obuya adding 23. After a brief stumble, Nakrani’s unbeaten 29 and captain Riazat Ali Shah’s 10 not out carried Uganda to 113 for 5 in 16.3 overs.
Coach Abhay Sharma praised the discipline of his bowlers and fielders but urged the batting unit to protect their wickets, noting that higher-scoring matches await in Harare.
Uganda face Titans XI on Tuesday in their second tour match, again in Pretoria.
