Match Summary

• Soroti City 125/6
• Olila CC 109/8
• Soroti City won by 16 runs

Soroti City defended the Women’s T20 League title after edging Olila Cricket Club by 16 runs on Saturday afternoon at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

Olila had completed group play unbeaten record and it was clear they would not be a walk in the park for the defending champions.

Olila won the toss and elected to bowl first but Soroti City was steady out of the blocks and despite losing a couple of wickets, they kept the scoreboard ticking.

Proscovia Alako blasted 43 off 22 balls three of which went for sixes in the last over that pushed the total to a competitive figure. Team captain Janet Mbabazi chipped in with 18 runs.

In the run chase, Olila was very slow out of the blocks and had only 37 runs on board inside 10 overs.

However, a 42-run partnership between Phiona Khulume (32) and Malisa Ariokot took the game to Soroti City but ultimately wasn’t enough falling short.

Olila will have to wait to add to their 2017 title while Soroti City have sort of started their winning run with two in a row.

Tornado Bee’s Teddy Oyella was named the MVP oof the League while Stephanie Nampiina and Naume Amogin won the Best Batter and Best Bowler awards respectively.

Cricket Cranes suffered a nine-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand at the ICC T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium on Saturday.

Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra spearheaded New Zealand’s bowling attack, dismissing Uganda for 40 runs in 18.4 overs.

Uganda’s batting again folded under the pressure, with only Kenneth Waiswa (11) managing to reach double figures. Fred Achelam, playing his first game at the tournament, contributed 9 runs.

Simon Ssesazi, Robinson Obuya, and Alpesh Ramjani didn’t trouble the scorers.

Southee picked 3 wickets for 4 runs, Boult picked 2 wickets for runs while Ravindra picked 2 wickets for 9 runs.

New Zealand’s chase was easy and done inside the power play with opener Devon Conway knocking 22 runs off 15 balls.

Riazat Ali Shah claimed the sole wicket for Uganda, trapping Finn Allen (9) down the leg side to be caught behind by Achelam.

Cricket Cranes locked horns with two-time World Champions West Indies for the first time in any T20i at the World Cup in the wee hours of June 9 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bat setting a formidable target of 173 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs.

Johnson Charles led the charge with 44 runs supported by Andre Russell’s unbeaten 30.

Uganda faced an uphill battle against the formidable West Indies bowling attack. Left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein wreaked havoc for Uganda with his spellbinding bowling performance. 

With an incisive haul of 5 wickets for 11 runs, Hosein led the charge as Uganda struggles for runs, ultimately being bowled out for a 39 runs in 12 overs.

“Tough day for us. It is a very steep learning curve. Just shows the difference in class. We were outplayed (in all departments) but we must take the learnings from it: as a batting unit, what we can do better to keep us in the game,” Brian Masaba, Uganda Captain said.

Despite the tough debut for Uganda, the match served as a valuable learning experience for the team, in so many ways.

Match Summary

• Uganda 80/8
• Zimbabwe 78/9 
• Uganda by 2 runs 

The final of the 10th edition of the Kwibuka Cricket Tournament lived up to the hype with the game going down to the last ball.

Victoria Pearls won the toss and elected to bat but their top order was cleaned up cheaply, leaving them at 6/3.

Proscovia Alako (24) and Rita Musamali (15) did some cleaning job but Uganda could only finish on 80/8 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, Uganda struck early to dismiss Kelis Ndlovu but Captain Chiydeza Dhururu (22) and Loryn Phiri (27) combined to swing the game in Zimbabwe’s favour.

However, when the two set batters were dismissed in quick succession, the Victoria Pearls put the squeeze on Zimbabwe’s back ender.

Janet Mbabazi (5/10) and Consy Aweko (2/17) bowled mean spells to leave 8 runs required for the win in the final over.

Youngster Lorna Anyait was given the defended the 8 runs but it was not without drama.

Match Summary: Uganda W v Rwanda W

• Uganda 100 all out
• Rwanda 88 all out
• Uganda won by 12 runs

Ugaanda’s Victoria Pearls qualified for their second consecutive Kwibuka Women’s Cricket Tournament final after a nervy win against defending champions and hosts Rwanda.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first. Janet Mbabazi and Immaculate Nakisuyi were very assuring at the top before Mbabazi departed.

Kevin Awino earned a promotion to number 3 but she didn’t do much damage.

There were starts for Stephanie Nampiina and Rita Musamali but not converted as the Victoria Pearls struggled to get to a total of 100. Rwanda was brilliant both with the ball and in the field.

In the run chase, captain Diane Marie Bimenyimana took the game to Uganda with an aggressive 37 from 41 balls but she lacked support from the rest of the group until Shakira Niyomuhoza came in at the back end.

Consy Aweko bowled a mean spell of 1/4 in 3 overs. Her line and length were unplayable for Gisele Ishimwe one of the key batters for Rwanda.

The game was on the edge from the 10th over with 62 required from 60 balls and after 14 overs the equation was down to 36 off 39 balls but the hosts panicked and gifted Uganda two runouts that changed the complexion of the game as the hosts did not have enough firepower at the back end.

The Victoria Pearls maintained their 100% record and will play Cameroon in their last group game before the final on Saturday.

Match Summary: Afghanistan vs Uganda

• Afghanistan 183/5
• Uganda 58 all out
• Afghanistan won by 125 runs

Uganda’s Cricket Cranes made a losing start at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, falling to Afghanistan by 125 runs.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a strong start with the bat putting together an opening stand of 154 while Fazalhaq Farooqi was devasting with ball in hand.

Uganda’s captain Brian Masaba won the toss and elected to field. However, Gurbaz (76) and Zadran (70) took the game to Ugandan bowlers and laid a foundation for Afghanistan to finish on 183/5.

Despite the pair being dismissed in quick succession by Alpesh Ramjan (1/33) and Masaba (2/21), a huge chunk of the batting load had been taken.

Cosmas Kyebuta (2/25) was the other standout bowler for Uganda.

In the run chase, Ronak Patel (4) and Roger Mukasa (0) fell on back-to-back deliveries from Fazalhaq Farooqi before Mujeeb Ur Rahman got Simon Ssesazi (4).

Naveen-ul-Haq, the third bowler to be introduced in the attack, picked the wickets of Alpesh Ramjani and Dinesh Nakrani in his first over leaving Cricket Cranes reeling at 18/5.

Riazat Ali 11(34) and Robinson Obuya 14(25) tried to stay in but Farooqi who finished with an impressive 5/9 returned to deliver further blows before skipper Rashid Khan cleaned up Uganda’s tail.

The Cricket Cranes will be back in action on Thursday at 2:30 am (EAT) against Papua New Guinea.

Match Summary: Uganda W v Malawi W

• Uganda 118/8
• Malawi 32 all out
• Uganda won by 86 runs

The Victoria Pearls beat unranked Malawi on Matchday 4 of the 10th Edition of the Kwibuka Tournament, winning the encounter by 86 runs.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first. Malawi was very disciplined with their bowling and some poor shot selection by Uganda’s batters led to an early collapse leaving Victoria Parls at 41/6.

However, a 42-run partnership between Malisa Ariokot (17) and Rita Musamali (55 not out) dug Uganda out of the hole in the last 10 overs to help them finish on 118/8.

In the run chase, Malawi was not a match for the Ugandan bowlers. Youngsters Patricia Timong (4/4) and Lorna Anyait (2/4) were outstanding with the ball as Malawi was cleaned up for 32.

Uganda got their fourth win of the tournament to remain unbeaten in the eight-nation tournament.

The win keeps Uganda in second place just behind hosts Rwanda as they are just separated by net run rate.

Uganda will take on rivals Kenya tomorrow.

• T20 World Cup Fixture
• Tuesday, June 4
• Afghanistan vs Uganda – 3:30 am, EAT

Uganda’s Cricket Cranes swing into action at the T20 World Cup tonight as they take on Afghanistan at the picturesque Providence Stadium in Guyana.

Cricket Cranes are eager to make their mark on the global stage but the opener against a team known for its explosive talent and mystery spinners will be an eye of what to expect at the grand stage for the Ugandans.

Rashid Khan, widely regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers, will lead Afghanistan’s spin bowling attack alongside Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, whose experience could trouble Uganda’s batting line-up.

Playing on slow pitches that offer assistance to spinners, Providence Stadium is a potentially tricky venue for batsmen thus the likes of Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, and Robinson Obuya and all rounders Riazat Ali Sha and Dineshi Nakrani have to be at their mercurial best.

Uganda’s bowling attack is strengthened by young pacers Cosmas Kyewuta and Juma Miyaji, who are capable of bowling good speeds but spinner Alpesh Ramjani, who took the most T20 international wickets in 2023, and Henry Ssenyondo should be key with ball in hand for the Cricket Cranes against the likes of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who are powerful hitters of the ball as well as Captain
Mohammad Nabi.

Uganda’s Probable XI: 1 Roger Mukasa, 2 Simon Ssesazi, 3 Robinson Obuya, 4 Riazat Ali Shah, 5 Dinesh Nakrani, 6 Alpesh Ramjani, 7 Kenneth Waiswa, 8 Fred Achelam (Wicketkeeper), 9 Bilal Hassun, 10 Brian Masaba (Captain), 11 Henry Ssenyondo

Match Summary: Uganda W vs. Zimbabwe W

• Uganda 165/2
• Zimbabwe 90 all out
• Uganda won by 75 runs

Victoria Pearls had a bright batting display that saw them post a very competitive total of 165 against Zimbabwe on Saturday.

Immaculate Nakisuyi knocked a well-crafted 52 off 42 balls while her partner Proscovia Alako expressed herself as she blasted 62 off 41 balls that helped Uganda post the total, losing two wickets along the way.

In the run chase, Sarah Walaza picked the big wicket of Kelis Ndlovu on the first ball and Zimbabwe were on the ropes right away.

Uganda made sure of the result with more quick wickets and at 29/5, the writing was on the wall as the Ugandans managed the rest of the game well to close it out by the 16th over.

Patricia Timong (2/23) and Immaculate Nandera (2/35) impressed on their debut as former skipper Consy Aweko (1/4), as always, bowled a mean quarter.

The Victoria Pearls thus remained unbeaten with a perfect record of three out of three but are second on the table. They have the same number of points as Rwanda but the hosts have a better net run rate.

The team takes a break on Sunday and returns to action on Monday.

Match Summary: Uganda W v Nigeria W

• Uganda 97 all out
• Nigeria 85/9
• Uganda won by 12 runs

Victoria Pearls edged Nigeria in their meeting at Kwibuka Cricket Tournament on Friday.

Nigeria who like chasing down totals won the toss and elected to bowl first. Lilian Ude 4/15 was Uhganda’s tormentor-in-chief with ball-in-hand but Janet Mbabazi (19) and Immaculate Nakisuyi (33) combined for an opening stand of 28.

However, Victoria Pearls failed to find second gear to help push the envelope. Kevin Awino (14) and Consy Aweko (7) played a tail-wagging cameo that pushed the total to 97 all out in 20 overs.

In the run chase, Sarah Walaza bowled a mean spell conceding just five runs in her quota of four overs which piled pressure on the Nigerians.

The Victoria Pearls cleaned up the top cheaply until a middle-order resistance kept the game evenly balanced till the end.

The big names of Consy Aweko 2/21, Immaculate Nakisuyi 2/19 and Janet Mbabazi 1/11 put a stop to the flow runs with the Nigerians running out of resources with 12 runs still required for the win.

Uganda picked up their second win of the tournament to keep up with the leading pack of Zimbabwe and Rwanda who have also won two out two so far.

The Ugandan will be back in action later today against Zimbabwe.