Lugogo Oval
Match Summary
KICC 223/10 in 47.5 Overs (Irfan Afridi 84 off 61, Davis karashani 38 off 43) lost to Kutchi Tigers CC 227/5 in 37 overs (Patel Ankit 54 off 54, Dinesh Kumar Nakrani 50 Not Out) by 5 wickets
Player of match: Dinesh Kumar Nakrani
KICC opened their account in the second round of fixtures with a loss to Kutchi Tigers by 5 wickets at the Lugogo cricket oval.
The KICC skipper won the toss and chose to take his chances against the Tigers bowlers by taking the bat first. His decision looked to backfire on him when the Tigers took advantage of an aged wicket (due to night cricket) to pick early KICC wickets. Their joy was however short lived as Irfan Afridi found his rhythm and powered through the overs with a few meaty sixes in his 61 ball innings scoring 84.
Former cranes skipper Davis Karashani equally dug deep to deny the Tigers his crucial wicket and eventually got to 38 in 43 balls. Despite the efforts, KICC was eventually bundled out for 223 with 13 balls in the innings unused. The Tigers then proved too strong for KICC as they were able to get 227 in just 37 overs for their win.
One of Uganda’s stand out performers at the just concluded Africa B WT20 qualifiers, Dinesh Nakrani put wood to leather and masterfully stroked the ball to get his 50 in 49 balls. If you thought getting a boundary or a match maximum to finish a game was style, then try getting a boundary that not only wins your team the game, but also gets you the half ton to cap off an impressive all round display of cricket.
Perhaps the only team to match run away table leaders Aziz Damani, the Tigers have started the second round well and will hope for a string of results that will set up an interesting encounter when the two meet.
Entebbe Oval
Match Summary
Aziz Damani CC 216/6 in 38 overs (Saud Islam 62 off 79, Sai Manoj 54 off 86, Riazat shah 49 off 36) beat Premier CC 45/10 in 14.4 overs (Nicholas Obuoch 18 off 17) by 171 runs.
Player of Match: Emmanuel Issanez (10/8 in 7 overs)
Aziz Damani have maintained their 100% win record and extended their dominance in the division with yet another overwhelming result against a Premier side who simply offered no resistance.
The game was reduced to 38 overs after an event at the oval the night before took too long to have their props taken down. With that in mind, the Damani captain who won the toss opted to bat first knowing that he had the bowlers to defend whatever score his side puts on.
Premier struck early through Samuel Mwanja (25/2 in 5 overs) to leave Damani at 9/1 in 3 overs. It was downhill hence forth as Saud Islam (62 off 79) and Sai Manoj (54 off 86) dug in deep on a very uneven wicket for a second wicket partnership of 115 runs before the latter fell off the bowling of Rajesh Nair (33/1 in 8 overs).
Damani then went on to post a commanding 216 in 38 overs on a wicket that tested the very core of any batsman. Riazat Sha, aka Rizou who walked in at number 4 gave out a chance off the third ball he faced which was not taken and he then went on to get a quick 49 off 36 balls. The Premier bowlers had a few glimpses of hope when they got Ghulam Hunzai and Kenneth Waiswa for ducks, but the damage was already done.
In their chase, Premier offered no resistance to the pace attack of Damani. Emmanuel Isanez was at his best reigning down terror upon the Premier batsmen. His bowling figures of 10/8 in 7 overs told the story of the game. He made best use of the wicket to exploit both the ins and away swingers. He was so lethal with the ball that he actually broke two stumps in the process.
If that performance were anything to go by, Aziz Damani clearly are eons apart and will continue to dominate in their remaining games as they chase a second consecutive crown this year.
Kyambogo Oval
Match Summary
Ceylon Lions 109/10 in 27 overs (Narinder Singh 19 off 33, Arnold Otwani 15 off 13) lost to Tornado Bee 194/7 in 50 overs (Deus Muhumuza 63, Baig Akbar 33 off 65) by 85 runs
Player of match: Abdallah Lubega (11 off 15, 27/4 in 8 overs & 2 catches)
Ceylon Lions suffered yet another loss at the hands of the Bees in a low scoring game that could have gone either side.
The Lions won the toss and chose to field first. They bowled very well to see the Bees struggle to get 200 in 50 overs and had them halted at 194 for 7. Deus Muhumuza starred with the bat for the Bees scoring 63 not out at number 4. In a game where runs had dried up, patience was key and Muhumuza had loads of patience to outlast the Lions bowlers.
With 195 to win, an arsenal of batters and a meager required run rate of 3.9 per over, this game should have been in the bag for the Lions. The show was however one for the Bees to steal as they effectively defended their score. The Lions choked along the way and collapsed at 109 in just 27 overs. The Bees walked away the happier of the two sides with the win served up to them.
This win sees the Bees chalk up a win in the win column for the first time since the end of May. They suffered a great many losses with the most recent against Aziz Damani and were dangerously close to the drop. Their remaining games will be a fight against relegation, and as many say, be wary of the wounded dog, well Bees in this case. It will be interesting to see how they build on this result moving on from here onto their next fixtures.