By Innocent Ndawula
Division I – Match Result
KICC 96/10 in 25.2 overs (Irfan Afridi 30 off 47 balls; Bilal Hassun 5/16 in 5.2 Overs, Emmanuel Isaneez 3/24) lost to Aziz Damani 97/4 in 17 overs (Riazat Ali Shah 42 off 25 balls; Irfan Afridi 3/29) by 6 wickets.
Man Of Match: Bilal Hassun of Aziz Damani
Aziz Damani captain Ghulam Hunzai took to Cricket Uganda’s Facebook page to either mock, jeer or remind (whichever way you want to look at it) Challengers captain Hamu Kayondo about the two worlds apart they’re living in as the Jazz Safari National Cricket League enters the final bend.
Hunzai and Co. remained unbeaten after a six-wicket demolishing act of Kampala Institute of Cricket Clubs (KICC) at the lakeside oval in Entebbe on whereas Challengers continued their recent renewed form with an 86-run win over ‘hapless’ Ceylon Lions (previously called Charity) at the University Oval in Kyambogo on Sunday (August 5).
18 points clear
Victory helped Aziz Damani steer clear atop on the log with 54 points, 18 more than second-place Kutchi Tigers, after their ninth consecutive win whereas Challengers, who have played 10 games now, moved to third on the table standings after their sixth triumph with 35 points.
“Challengers waiting for Damani to lose one or two games. Well said Hamu… first look at the points table please,” posted Hunzai in reply to a Cricket Uganda video in which Kayondo gave a reflection from his club’s game against Ceylon Lions; “If luck goes our way and Damani lose one or two games, we have a chance. I feel anything can happen.”
The ‘innocent’ exchange of banter between both captains could well set the tone and light up the business-end of the season with Aziz Damani and Challengers left with five and four games to play respectively.
One thing for sure, there will be no love lost as both teams look to continue making their presence felt on the oval with bat and ball doing the talking for them.
Dynamic pairing
Cricket Cranes’ dynamic pair of all-rounder Riazat Ali Shah and Bilal Hassun did most of the talking as Damani left KICC in a daze.
Hassun brilliantly used the new ball to claim a fiver for just 16 runs in 5.2 overs as KICC collapsed for 96 runs under 26 overs with on-song paceman Emmanuel Isaneez (3/24) playing perfect foil.
With KICC’s star man Irfan Afridi, who had scored 30 off 47 in the first innings, threatening the chase with three quick scalps, Shah batted the demons out of the tricky Entebbe wicket with 42 off 25 balls as Damani crossed the finish line in 17 overs with six wickets in hands and 198 balls to spare.
“Insha Allah (read In God’s Grace), maybe we can now finish unbeaten,” said Damani CEO Siva Koti as he team descended onto White Sands Beach in Entebbe for lunch and mini-celebrations since the game had ended at 2.30pm.
“We are going to take it one game at a time. And we want to beat Kutchi Tigers. It is a game we badly need to win and know that our title defence is certain,”
added Koti as all-rounders Kenneth Waiswa (9*) and Brian Masaba (6*) walked off the oval to a round of applause from the Damani dugout led by coach-player Steve Tikolo after knocking off the last runs.
