No Time To Mourn After Cricket Cranes fall to Italy on Turning Surface
MATCH SUMMARY
Italy 192/9 (50 overs)
Uganda 79 all out (31.1 overs)
Italy won by 113 runs
DAR ES SALAAM – AUGUST 11. The Cricket Cranes must pick up the pieces quickly after Italy delivered a statement 113-run victory in today’s crucial ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B clash at the NTS Ground, TCA Arena – UDSM.
Italy posted 192/9 from 50 overs before Uganda crumbled to 79 all out in 31.1 overs, suffering their first defeat of the three-legged campaign.
The result moves Italy to 20 points, the same as Uganda, but they are at the top of the table courtesy of a better Net Run Rate (NRR) of 2.469.
Hong Kong-China moved to 16 points after beating Tanzania by 6 wickets earlier in the day.
For Uganda, however, there is little time to dwell on the setback.
The Cranes return to the same ground tomorrow to face Hong Kong-China.
Italy build, Uganda strike
Asked to bowl first after losing the toss, Uganda made good use of their spin resources.
Sumeet Verma led the attack with 4/49, while Alpesh Ramjani produced an excellent 2/27 from 10 overs.
Henry Ssenyondo, Joseph Baguma and medium pacer Dinesh Nakrani claimed one wicket each as Italy were reduced to 161/8 in 46.3 overs.
But Italy’s lower order refused to surrender.
Jaspreet Singh struck 17 from 14 balls, including a six, while Crishan Kalugamage finished unbeaten on 11 from nine and Ali Hasan added a boundary from his only delivery.
Those late runs took Italy to 192/9 — a total that initially looked manageable on a surface offering assistance to spin.
The mega collapse
Uganda began the chase cautiously but lost Raghav Dhawan early for four.
Simon Ssesazi and Gerald Olipa then steadied the innings, taking Uganda to 43/1.
That was where the match changed dramatically.
Olipa fell for 19, followed by Kenneth Waiswa for three and Sumeet Verma without scoring.
Ssesazi, who had made 19, then departed chasing a wide delivery.
Captain Riazat Ali Shah was caught at leg slip for five.
In the space of 21 overs, Uganda had gone from 43/1 to 55/6.
Five wickets had fallen for just 12 runs.
Italy’s fielders were relentless around the bat, taking several sharp catches as their spinners attacked the turning surface.
Rakibul runs riot
The chief destroyer was Rakibul Hasan. The spinner returned outstanding figures of 6/18 from 10 overs, including a maiden, while Benjamin Manenti bowled his 10 overs for just 19 runs and took one wicket.
The pair combined for 20 consecutive overs of control, suffocating Uganda’s middle order.
Alpesh Ramjani resisted with 14 before being bowled around his legs, while Joseph Baguma became the final wicket at 79.
Uganda had been bowled out in just 31.1 overs. No excuses, just lessons
Head coach Steve Tikolo and Ssesazi acknowledged after the match that the wicket was difficult for batting and that Uganda had not shown their full potential as a batting unit.
The immediate focus, however, is recovery and response.
The same conditions await Hong Kong-China on tomorrow morning – Wednesday, meaning Uganda will not have to learn a completely new surface.
The challenge will be to adapt better.
The race tightens
The defeat has changed the complexion of the table.
Italy now sit first on 20 points, the same as Uganda but with a better NRR, while Hong Kong-China have moved to 16.
Uganda therefore no longer control top spot outright.
However, the qualification campaign remains alive, with two matches still to play after Wednesday’s encounter.
The 15-match Challenge League cycle is played across three round-robin legs, with the competition forming part of the pathway towards the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
That makes tomorrow’s game especially important.
A Uganda victory would take the Cricket Cranes to 22 points.
The lesson from today’s loss is clear.
The conditions will not change dramatically. Uganda must.
Uganda have fallen, but the campaign is not over.
The response starts tomorrow.
NEXT FIXTURE – TOMORROW
🇺🇬 Uganda vs. Hong Kong-China 🇭🇰
📅 Wednesday, August 12, 2026
🕘 9:00 am EAT
📍 NTS Ground, TCA Arena – UDSM