Matchday: ICC Challenge League B
- Uganda 267/8
- Bahrain 101 all out
- Uganda won by 166 runs
Cricket Cranes defeated Bahrain at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe by 166 runs to finish the first round of the Challenge League B tournament unbeaten.
Hong Kong China was the only side that took a point away from the hosts. In a game that was evenly balanced just before the heavens opened Uganda will be grateful that either way they got something out of a fixture that could have a potential banana skin.
In their final game, Riazat Ali Shah won the toss and elected to bat first. Robinson Obuya (24) got another start that wasn’t converted. Still, his opening batting partner Shrideep Mangela (102*) went on to carry his bat and brought up his maiden List A century that anchored the innings for Uganda.
Dinesh Nakrani (74 not out) with back-to-back half-centuries later on pilushed the score to a comfortable 267/8 in 50 overs.
In the run chase, only Haider Ali (50 not out) offered some resistance to the Cricket Cranes. Henry Ssenyondo (3/31), Alpesh Ramjani (3/12), and Frank Nsubuga (2/22), the slow options for Uganda, with the wickets at the slow lakeside oval as the team picked up their fourth win of the tournament.
The hosts finish on nine points out of a possible ten points and two points ahead of second-place Italy and Hong Kong China, tied on seven points.
It’s a great first round for Uganda as they push a case for a place at the 2027 World Cup.
Hong Kong China will host the next leg of the qualifiers in 2025 and if Uganda learnt any lessons from the last Challenge, it will be important to consolidate a great first round start.
Riazat Ali Shah led from the front with the bat scoring more than 276 runs. He scored a century and two half-centuries while Dinesh Nakrani’s two half-centuries together with Shrideep Mangela’s century in the final game were the highlights with the bat.
Uganda had to contend with a lot of slow starts at the top but their firepower at the back always bailed out of those slow starts.
Henry Ssenyondo stands out with the ball. He continues to remind his doubters why he is in the side as he got 13 wickets in the series with a stand-out bowling performance in the win against Italy. Alpesh Ramjani (11 wickets) and Frank Nsubuga played great back up, while Juma Miyagi and Cosmas Kyewuta shared the new ball responsibilities.
Singapore and Tanzania were the only sides not to win a game in Uganda while Bahrain could only manage a single win. There is some distance between the top and bottom sides, but with just 10 games left in the Challenge League, any team has an opportunity to improve and catch up with those at the top.
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