The Uganda U-19 national cricket team secured a vital victory in their ICC Under-19 World Cup Africa Qualifiers campaign, defeating Sierra Leone U-19 by 5 wickets at the University of Lagos Oval in Nigeria.
After suffering consecutive defeats to Tanzania and Kenya, the Baby Cricket Cranes were in dire need of a win to keep their hopes alive of avoiding relegation to Division Two. And they delivered, thanks to a solid team effort.
Uganda won the toss and chose to bowl first, making early inroads to restrict Sierra Leone to 17/4 by the 10th over. Spinners Abdul Aziz Tandia and Ali Balidawa took two and three wickets respectively, while opening bowler Musa Majid Ramathan also claimed two scalps. Mainstays Christopher Kidega and Gerald Olipa chipped in with one wicket each.
Despite a solid fightback from Sierra Leone, led by George Sesay’s 42 runs, Uganda’s bowlers eventually bowled them out for 119 runs in 47.4 overs.
In their run chase, Uganda made a change to their opening pair, with Richard Sohera replacing Gerald Olipa. Devansh Patel (25) and captain Gerald Olipa (20) played vital roles in stabilizing the innings. Abdul Aziz Tandia played a composed knock of 18 not out off 35 balls, supported well by Jonathan Nyiiro, who remained unbeaten on 11 off 21 balls.
Uganda successfully chased down the target in 43 overs, winning by 5 wickets. This victory marked their first win of the qualifiers and keeps their hopes alive of avoiding relegation to Division Two.
The Baby Cricket Cranes will face Namibia in their next match, scheduled for tomorrow. The last time the two teams met was in the 2022 qualifiers, where the match was abandoned and both teams shared points.
With this win, Uganda will be looking to build momentum and finish the qualifiers on a high note. Can they pull off another upset against Namibia? Only time will tell.
