By Innocent Ndawula
Match Summary
Uganda 204 runs for 4 wickets in 20 Overs (Ronak Patel 65 off 47, Dinesh Nakrani 74 off 44, Riazat Ali Shah 27 off 8; Yvan Mitali 2/45 in 4) beat Rwanda 34 All Out in 8.5 Overs (Eric Niyomugabo 13 off 7; Irfan Afridi (5/12 in 4) , Riazat Ali Shah (3/10 in 3) by 170 runs.
Man Of Match: Irfan Mohammed Afridi (Uganda)
ICC World Twenty20 Africa Region Qualifier B Table
TEAM M W L PT NRR
KENYA 3 3 0 6 4.708
UGA 3 2 1 4 3.828
Tzn 3 1 2 2 -1.480
RWN 3 0 3 0 -6.150
Big Brothers can be ruthless sometimes. Many a victim will say they're always especially when they want their siblings to learn something very fast.
It was the same thing at Gahanga Cricket Stadium as 'Big Brothers - Uganda - unleashed a brutal cricketing lesson to 'Kid Bro' Rwanda on Match Day Three of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 Africa 'B' Qualifier on July 10.
Brutal actually does little to explain the manner in which Uganda strolled to an easy 170-run win on a breezy Tuesday afternoon. It was menacing!
Naive Rwanda
The Rwandans won the toss and 'unknowingly' extended an olive branch to 'Big Brother' when they asked Uganda to bat first.
Yvan Mitali, a lively paceman, gave the fair local crowd and natives of Gahanga early joy with two quick scalps of Cricket Cranes captain Roger Mukasa (6) and Hamu Kayondo (13) to leave Uganda tottering at 26 for 2 after 4 overs.
But that was just about it as the new men at the crease; Dinesh Nakrani (74 off 44) and Ronald Patel (65 off 47) showed larger-than-life awareness as they mixed solidity without aggression in a boundary-filled 135-run partnership for the third wicket.
Uganda never looked like they would score as many at 84 for 2 in 10 overs. But both batsmen engaged new gear levels - getting the ball to cross the rope 11 times.
Ronak caressed 11 fours but it was Nakrani, who was more lethal with four soaring sixes.
Riazat Ali Shah, with three meaty sixes, offered the finishing touches in an 8-ball 27 as Uganda raced to 204 for 4 - their second time to cross the200-run mark in the regional showpiece - after their 240 against Kenya on Match Day One.
Spinning Strength
Leg-spinning all-rounder Irfan Afridi then spun cobwebs around the Rwandan batsmen to ensure he scoops his second Man Of Match accolade with a five-wicket haul that cost only 12 runs in four overs.
Shah, once again, provided the finishing touches to the second innings with a decisive spell of 3 for 10 in 3 overs including one maiden as Uganda bowled out the Rwandans for a meekly 34 in 8.5 overs.
Only Eric Niyomugabo, arguably Rwanda's finest talent, managed double figures with 13 runs off 7 balls - the three boundaries in his knock getting deafening applause as good as it lasted.
But it was Steve Tikolo's boys, who got one over close pal and former Kenyan teammate Martin Suji, that were celebrating an enormous triumph that boosted their Net Run Rate three-fold to inch closer to Kenya's - hence keeping the trophy dreams alive.
Uganda take on Tanzania next (July 11) and only another marginal victory will suffice for Mukasa and Co.
