Uganda began their tour of Namibia with an eight-wicket defeat to Namibia A, surrendering early control despite a strong start in the opening T20 at the High Performance Oval in Windhoek on Wednesday.
After being sent in to bat, the Cricket Cranes looked set for a competitive total as Simon Ssesazi and Robinson Obuya put on 58 inside eight overs. Ssesazi made 33 while Obuya added 28, both scoring freely before Namibia A’s bowlers pulled things back.
Once the opening stand was broken, Uganda’s innings stalled. No other batter passed 17, with debutant Anas Baig contributing 16 off 11 and Gerald Olipa adding 14. A late push from Cosmas Kyewuta, who struck 10 off five balls, was not enough to shift momentum as Uganda slipped from 97 for 4 to 131 for 9 in their 20 overs.
Jan Balt led the turnaround with 2 for 15, removing both openers, while captain Dylan Leicher and all-rounder Nicol Loftie-Eaton claimed two wickets each to tighten control through the middle overs.
Uganda made early inroads with the ball, reducing Namibia A to 46 for 2 through Riazat Ali Shah and Juma Miyaji, but could not build on that start. Loftie-Eaton took charge of the chase with an unbeaten 72 off 36 balls, and Leicher supported with 48 off 27 as Namibia A reached the target in just 13.2 overs.
All Uganda bowlers went at more than eight runs an over, with Namibia capitalising on favourable batting conditions to close out the game comfortably.
Assistant coach Jackson Ogwang pointed to poor shot selection and a high number of dot balls, with Uganda recording 56 in their innings, while captain Riazat Ali Shah called for a response from the group.
Uganda return to action later on Thursday in the second T20 at the same venue, looking to level the five-match series.
