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Matchday 4: U-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers
Game 3: Uganda U-19 v Tanzania U-19
Baby Cricket Cranes picked up their second win in Tanzania at the U-19 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers as they dispatched hosts Tanzania in Dar es Salaam.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bowl first which in the context of improving your Net Run Rate was a great idea.
The bowling unit was led by Joseph Baguma (6/15) who worked out the batters with change deliveries and beautiful off-spinners as the hosts were bundled out cheaply for 48.
The energy in the field, awareness and catching came off very well for the youngsters.
The disappointment for the Baby Cricket Cranes was in the run chase but they got over the line winning by three wickets.
Namibia the table toppers picked up a comfortable seven-wicket win against Kenya and kept at the top of the table with a healthy Net Run Rate.
The Baby Cricket Cranes will need some maths to help them overhaul the Namibian Net Run Rate.
The youngsters will take on neighbours Kenya on Friday and finish their campaign against Sierra Leone.
- Matchday 3: U-19 World Cup Qualifiers (Africa)
- Game 2: Uganda U-19 v Nigeria U-19
- Toss: Uganda won the toss and elected to bat 1st
- Uganda 69 all out
- Nigeria 39 all out
- Uganda won by 30 runs
Uganda grinded a much-needed win against Nigeria to keep their hopes of qualifying for the U19 World Cup alive in Tanzania.
Both sides played out only 46 overs and scored 106 runs for 20 wickets.
Uganda elected to bat first after winning the toss but was tested by pace bowling by Emmanuel Udekwe (4/22) who was supported by Prosper Useni (1/10).
The two ripped through the Ugandan top order to leave them railing at 17/5.
Yunusi Sowobi (8) and Joseph Baguma (5) tried to hang around to move the score into the 30s but Baguma threw away his wicket and Sowobi followed him in quick succession.
Pius Oloka (17) put some respect to the total for Uganda with a late charge with Abdul Aziz Tandai but Uganda ran out of steam at 69 inside 28 overs.
In the chase, Nigeria was immediately pegged back with some quick wickets by the Ugandans.
Musa Majid started (3/7) started the downfall as his medium pacers troubled the Nigerians. Joseph Baguma (3/20) offered support as the Ugandans claimed a 30-run victory.
The youngsters will be seeking a better performance today when they take on hosts Tanzania.
Baby Cricket Cranes head coach Emmanuel Isaneez is hoping the team’s bond will even grow stronger as they seek qualification for a fourth World Cup in Tanzania.
The coach introduced ‘the coach’s drink,’ on Thursday afternoon after David Katende, the Deputy Secretary General of the National Council of Sports, officially flagged off the team to depart Uganda.
“The coach’s drink is something new in the set-up, introduced to share passion and love within the team as they bond on the final day before we travel to Tanzania,” Isaneez tweeted using his official handle.
“This will always symbolise togetherness from top to bottom in the team’s settings,” he added.
Uganda, who have already arrived in Tanzania, hope to replicate previous appearances in the 2004, 2006 and 2022 editions, as the 2024 edition will be held in Sri Lanka.
Six teams, including hosts Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Kenya, will face off for one slot in the World Cup.
The Baby Cranes squad, which has six players from the 2022 edition, open their campaign on Sunday, 23rd July, against Namibia.
The Squad
Fahad Mutagana, Pius Oloka, Ronald Omara, Yunusi Sowobi, Musa Majid, Nyero Jonathan, Gerald Olipa, Balidawa Ali, Joseph Baguma, Brian Asaba, Conrad Lubwama, Abdul Aziz Tandia, Jaffer Ochaya, Anas Baig.
Match Day 5: Castle Lite Series
Game 5: Uganda v Namibia (1st 50 over match)
- Uganda 127 all out
- Namibia 128/0
- Namibia won by 10 wickets
Cricket Cranes had to contend with extremely cold weather and a very confident opponent in Namibia and they lost their first of two 50-over games on their tour.
The hosts won the toss and elected to bowl first, a stranger decision considering that they had batted first throughout the T20 series.
Captain Brian Masaba was given a promotion up the order but the move didn’t work out.
Ronald Lutaaya (19) and Kenneth Waiswa (42) tried to overcome the testing conditions but Lutaaya couldn’t go so far.
Alpesh Ramjani (23) worked hard with Waiswa but the run scoring was not easy against the spin of Pikkie Ya France (6/22) who ripped through the middle order.
Dinesh Nakrani (17) and Fred Achellam (14) followed suit and only managed to put on 127 in 37.1 overs.
In the chase, the hosts were never troubled Fouche Shaun (48 not out) and Louwrens Rohan (76 not out) knocked off the requirement inside 26 overs as the Cricket Cranes suffered a heavy 10-wicket loss.
Cricket Cranes will be back in action on Thursday in their final game of the tour as they seek to find a win in the desert.
Uganda has been chosen as one of the countries that will host the 2023 Cricket World Cup trophy from August 25th – 27th.
The iconic trophy is for the 50-over World Cup that will be held in India from Octo 5t- Nov 19t with England as the defending champions.
The World Cup trophy will take a journey around the whole visiting 18 countries, and 40 cities on a journey that will take 100 days.
It will arrive in Uganda on August 25th and depart on August 27th with several activities lined up to mark this historical occasion.
“We are very excited to be hosting the World Cup trophy in Kampala after being chosen by the ICC. We want to leverage this opportunity to continue our primary role of spreading the game throughout the whole county,” Alan Mugume CEO of the Uganda Cricket Association told the media.
“We want to use this opportunity as well to connect the game to key partners in the growth of our game as we seek new partnerships that we help in the development of cricket in Uganda.”
Uganda is among the three countries in Africa that will host the trophy, the others being Nigeria and
South Africa.
Matchday 4: Castle Lite Series
Game 4: Uganda v Namibia
- Namibia 186/7
- Uganda 175/6
- Namibia won by 11 runs
Cricket Cranes came close to victory on the second day in a row against the hosts Namibia but fell short by 11 runs in the final T20I game of the series.
Kenneth Waiswa was in charge in the absence of Brian Masaba and Uganda lost their first toss in the four-match series with the hosts electing to bat first.
The plan to open the bowling with Joseph Baguma never worked as he conceded 22 runs off his first over despite picking a wicket.
Namibia cruised on led by their Captain Gerhard Erasmus (67) amassing 186/7 from their 20 overs.
Kenneth Waiswa was more accurate with bowling figures of 3/18 from three overs.
In the chase, Robinson Obuya (71) rode his luck to notch up his maiden T20I half-century that kept Uganda in the game.
The late contributions came from Cyrus Kakuru (32) and Pascal Murungi (29) but the Cricket Cranes ran out of resources with 11 runs still required for the win.
There is still redemption for the Cricket Cranes as they take on Namibia in the first of two 50-over matches.
Fast bowler Juma Miyaji has been ruled out of the Namibia Cricket Series after he suffered an injury in the opening T20I game on Wednesday.
The back troubles continued to haunt him in the second over of the game after missing the Kenya Series over the same, coupled with illness.
Cricket Cranes will now have spinner Joseph Baguma join the side while Miyagi returns home for further treatment.
This development adds to the list of departures from the Namibia tour with Simon Ssesazi, and Henry Ssenyondo returning due to the loss of their mother while Riazat Ali Shah sorts his passport woes after it got misplaced.
“Juma Miyagi has been ruled out of the Castle Lite Series due to an injury, he will be replaced by Joseph Baguma in the squad,” read a statement on the Uganda Cricket Association social media pages.
“Baguma will join the team in Namibia as soon as possible while Miyagi returns home to start his recovery.”
Baguma has played at the U19 World Cup for the Baby Cricket Cranes and he will be instrumental with the ball, replacing Ssenyondo in the set-up.
Cricket Cranes will be without instrumental players Simon Ssesazi and Henry Ssenyondo as they are bound to be replaced by Fred Achelam and Pius Oloka in Namibia.
The duo will depart for Kampala after they lost their mother in the afternoon of Wednesday 5th July as reported by Uganda Cricket Association (UCA).
“Our Cricket Cranes players Simon Ssesazi, Henry Ssenyondo, and Victoria Pearls Assistant Coach Lawrence Ssempijja lost their mother this afternoon,” read a statement on UCA’s social media platforms.
“Henry and Simon return home from Namibia and they will be replaced by Fred Achellam and Pius Oloka. May her soul rest in peace.”
To further compound matters, terrific all-rounder Riazat Ali Shah is also back home after losing his passport while in transit according to Kawowo Sports.
Oloka will be handed his senior debut on the tour as Uganda look to come back from their loss to Namibia in the first T20 played on Thursday afternoon.
Uganda won the toss and elected to bowl first but the Cricket Cranes suffered a blow in the second over with Juma Miyagi pulling out of his action due to some back discomfort.
The Cranes struggled to find their lengths with the hosts posting 191/6 in their 20 overs. Alpesh Ramjani (3/32) on his first tour to Namibia as he slowed down the run-scoring.
In the run chase, Simon Ssesazi (12) fell cheaply but his opening partner Ronald Lutaaya (54) scored his second T20I half-century with a composed knock against a strong bowling lineup.
Lutaaya combined with Kenneth Waiswa (22) for a partnership of 51 and also combined with Alpesh Ramjani (55) for a partnership of 75 but it wasn’t just enough.
Cricket Cranes head coach Laurence Mahatlane is hoping the team perform even better than the previous two rounds that have seen the side register improved performances.
The Cricket Cranes were flagged off for their Tour to Namibia for the Castle Lite Series on Monday and will start their quest to glory today.
They will face Namibia’s Richelieu Eagles in four T20Is and two ODI games and Mahatlane is hopeful the side will pull off more than two victories they managed last year.
“The plan is to make sure that we have a lot of continuity on the side,” Mahatlane told media.
“Last year we lost a couple of players at crucial times and we want to have a large squad for the amount of cricket we have to play this year.
“Therefore we have kept Obuya on the side to give him more opportunities in more tough conditions. We have shown growth on every visit to Namibia and we hope to put on a better show this time around.”
Namibia will be hosting the finals of the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in November this year and this trip should help the core of the side to get familiar with the conditions.
The Final 14: Brian Masaba (C), Kenneth Waiswa, Juma Miyagi, Ronald Lutaaya, Simon Ssesazi, Obuya Robinson, Dinesh Nakrani, Alpesh Ramjani, Riazat Ali Shah, Henry Ssenyondo, Cyrus Kakuru, Frank Nsubuga
Ugandan all-rounder and Victoria Pearls Vice Captain Janet Mbabazi has been shortlisted for the Coastline Beach Cricket Tournament whose details continue to unfold.
The spectacle is set to be hosted on Jumeirah Beach in Dubai according to the organizers’ website.
Mbabazi was selected alongside a host of many other stars like Brazil’s fast-medium bowler Mariana Martinez, UAE’s right-hand Batter Esha Oza, Leg Spinner From England Laura Ann Bailey, and Brazilian right-handed Batter Roberta Avery among others.
A statement released by Coastline Cricket read; “Our First Female International Player From Uganda – 🇺🇬 – She is a batting all-rounder – Janet is a leading role model for female cricketers worldwide a true inspiration for individuals in the sporting sector.
“We are bringing cricketers from all around the world 🌍 to our League providing them an opportunity to play and showcase their talents on an international platform.”
Coastline Cricket brings a new way to enjoy the much-loved sport to a global audience, featuring mixed-gender teams and a star-studded guest list.
Janet made her Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) for Uganda against Scotland in the World Twenty20 Qualifier on 7 July 2018.
In March 2023, Mbabazi became one of the Uganda Cricket Association’s first twelve women players to be awarded central contracts.