Zimbabwe and Namibia booked their slots at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka and India by reaching the Africa Qualifiers finals in Harare.
This is one change to the continent’s lineup as Uganda fell short early in the tournament.
The Cricket Cranes are in a consolation battle for a highest possible fifth place. They beat Malawi by 117 runs in the fifth place playoff semifinal on Thursday evening at the Takashinga Cricket Club.
For the second successive time, captain Riazat Ali Shah won the toss but elected to bat this time. Uganda set a target of 192 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their innings; with player of the match Sumeet Verma hitting 88 off 41 balls.
“The wicket was a little slow early on but I backed my intent. Batting with Raghav gave me confidence, and once I got in, I expressed myself. I’m very happy to contribute in my first international,” Verma said as he received his award.
In the second innings, Malawi were no match for the Cricket Cranes’ bowling as they raised only 75 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Alpesh Ramjani claimed his hundredth T20 International wicket.
“Today we got something we had missed throughout the tournament – a big partnership. Sumeet and Raghav rebuilt us under pressure and gave us momentum. Our bowlers stuck to the plan and supported each other,” assistant coach Jackson Ogwang summed up the performance.
Result – Fifth Place Playoff Semifinal (October 2)
Cricket Cranes vs Malawi at Takashinga Cricket Club
Uganda 192/3 (20.0 overs) beat Malawi 75/6 (20.0 overs) by 117 wickets
Player Of The Match: Sumeet Verma 88 off 41 (batting)
Uganda’s next and final match in the tournament will be against Nigeria on Saturday afternoon.
Next Fixture – Fifth Place Playoff Final – Saturday, October 4
Uganda vs Nigeria – Takashinga Cricket Club, 2.50 pm (EAT)
