Uganda’s Cricket Cranes have finally registered a victory at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Despite still being far from their best in the third and final group match, Cricket Cranes beat Botswana comfortably by eight wickets at the Takashinga Cricket Club.
Captain Riazat Ali won the toss and elected to bowl first. His Cricket Cranes charges restricted the Buggy Blues to just 81 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the first innings.
This was chased down summarily in 12.4 overs courtesy of a Man-of-the-Match winning performance by Raghav Dhawan.
Result – Third Group Match (September 30)
Cricket Cranes vs Botswana at Takashinga Cricket Club
Uganda 85/2 (12.4 overs) beat Botswana 81/6 (20.0 overs) by 8 wickets
Player Of The Match: Raghav Dhawan 54 off 45 (batting)
A relieved Riazat Ali Shah said, “The bowlers were superb today, and Raghav’s innings showed the maturity we need at the top. It was important to end the group stage with a win, and now we want to carry this momentum into the fifth-place semifinals.”
Coach Abhay Sharma commended the team’s recovery from the poor start saying, “It was not flawless, but it was the response we needed. The boys showed character, especially after such a tough defeat. This win restores belief and sets us up for the playoffs.”
Uganda will face Malawi in the second semifinal of the fifth-place playoffs at the same venue on Thursday afternoon.
Next Fixture – Match Four – Thursday, October 2
Uganda vs Malawi – Takashinga Cricket Club, 2.50 pm (EAT)
