Pretoria – September 17 – The Cricket Cranes endured a sobering end to their Tour of South Africa as they were bowled out for 89 in 17.1 overs against SuperSport Titans XI (SPICA) at the Tuks Cricket Oval, High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria yesterday. SPICA chased down the target with 90/6 in 17 overs, winning by 4 wickets with 18 balls to spare.
Electing to bat first, Uganda struggled against disciplined bowling. Early breakthroughs by Reo Sakurano-Thomas and Natenzi Denenga put Uganda on the back foot, while only Robinson Obuya provided resistance with 38 runs, and Juma Miyaji added 16 near the end. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals, exposing Uganda’s top and middle-order fragility, a recurring issue on this tour.
Chasing a modest total, SPICA lost early wicket of Thinus Gouws lbw for a duck, but Nathan Trevethan’s composed 44 off 36 balls and Tlhowi Davies’ 17 stabilised the innings. A quickfire contribution from Divan De Villiers (22 off 15 balls) ensured SPICA crossed the line with 18 balls to spare. Spinners Alpesh Ramjani Ravilal and Henry Ssenyondo got two wickets apiece.
Coach Abhay Sharma offered his candid reflections on the game: “The scoreline suggests everything. We put on a poor score. Definitely, the wicket was slower, but no excuses. We tried to make a match of it. Our batsmen must focus on building innings and implementing the plans.”
Top-order batsman Robinson Obuya highlighted the lessons from the defeat: “We have a lot to learn from this game as batsmen. We must find a method of always scoring runs to give our bowlers something to work with. We are a strong team, but we are lacking in backing ourselves to deliver.”
Tomorrow, Uganda will make the short trip to Harare for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, carrying the lessons from this challenging game. While Uganda showed glimpses of fight, SPICA’s calm composure, strategic partnerships, and finishing ability proved decisive.
Match Summary – Game Three:
Uganda XI: 89/10 (17.1 overs) |
SuperSport Titans XI: 90/6 (17) |
SPICA won by 4 wickets
Series Result: Uganda won the series 2-1
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