Flying start for Cricket Cranes

“It’s always good to start on a flyer,” remarked Uganda’s skipper Brian Masaba after the team had chased down a target of 104 runs for the loss of three wickets with 10 balls to spare. 

For coach Laurence Mahatlane, the sense of a great feeling at home must have kicked in. He took a short holiday spell in the Rainbow Nation and the time included watching some Rugby World Cup 7s action of the Cranes and obviously the Blitzboks in Johannesburg.

Upon to reuniting with his boys, they were expectedly spectacular but more importantly, near-perfect.

“The boys did well to win the first game. It wasn’t easy conditions. I thought the bowling was very good. The discipline that the boys showed was very impressive with just two extras in our innings,” said Mahatlane. 

The morning was crafted best for Uganda right from the start. Masaba beat his opposite Karabo Motlhanka to the toss and elected to field. 

“I thought slow bowlers would well but then we changed with pace,” the all-round batsman explained his decisions.

He first started with young pace-bowling duo of Cosmas Kyewuta (1/19) and Juma Miyagi (1/23) and later threw on veteran spinner Frank  Nsubuga (1/22) but the screws were turned in when debutant Indian-born Alphesh Ramjani cracked a spell of 4/17 and a maiden in four overs.

By the time Ramjani was done, Botswana was in a spot of batting bother. Sooraj Kollery had tried to withstand the storm with a respectable 29 runs off 41 balls comprising four boundaries. 

It however wasn’t as Botswana’s innings folded at 103-8 after the allotted overs. With the ball, now with more Ugandans watching back home on television, left-hand opener Simon Ssesaazi continued to display his enviable form by top-scoring with 37 runs.

His innings of 39 balls were lightened up with three fours and a big six, sharing 33 runs with fellow opener Masaba (15 off 17) in first 34 balls. 

The man nicknamed ‘Kawologoma’ would then share another 13 runs with Kenneth Waiswa for the next wicket before falling at 80-3 on the first ball of the 16th over.

It is then Riazat Ali Shah who cut and hit the ball sequentially to the boundary five times to seal Uganda’s job with a beautiful unbeaten knock of 36 runs off 29 balls, with support from Ramjani (9* off 9).

“And, from a batting point of view, again not easy conditions. We showed a lot of calmness and won comfortably at the end. 

I am very excited with how we started and the new debutants. Exciting times ahead,” Mahatlane added. 

Uganda will take a break today and tomorrow but return to face Mozambique on Sunday.