Castle Lite 50-Overs – Day Two
Namibia 267/5
Uganda 269/7
*Uganda wins by 3 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
Uganda bounced back from a poor show on Monday as they lost to Namibia by seven wickets to level the Castle Lite 50-Overs series in Windhoek, on Wednesday.
The Cricket Cranes put on a perfect chase to level the two-day series at 1-1.
Kenneth Waiswa was the appointed captain of the day with regular skipper Brian Masaba out. Coach Lawrence Mahatlane named a very youthful side with Frank Nsubuga, Frank Akankwasa and Deus Muhumuza all given a rest.
Uganda won the toss and elected to bowl first. Juma Miyagi shared the new ball responsibility with Cosmas Kyewuta who both did a good job keeping the Namibians quiet.
Namibian legend Craig Williams (90) was in a class of his own mixing patient play with aggression and remained a thorn in the Ugandan backside. He got support from Karl Birkenstock (73) as the home side piled on a competitive 265/6.
Henry Ssenyondo had good control and was tidy in his 10-over spell with Cosmas Kyewuta who has been a revelation on the tour also putting in a decent shift.
In the chase, Simon Ssesazi (82) and Emmanuel Hasahya (19) started very well putting on a partnership of 60 and despite losing the latter, Ssesazi continued with the onslaught.
A couple of wickets in the middle slowed down the run chase but the combination of Riazat Ali Shah and Dinesh Nakrani again took the game to the Namibians. Despite losing his partner, Riazat Ali Shah ensured he was there until the end and clinched the game with a six.
It was a great batting performance from a side that had scored 68 all out a day before. Riazat Ali Shah and Dinesh Kumar Nakrani were the go-to players for Uganda but there were some useful contributions throughout the whole team.
The win was the first ODI win for the Cricket Cranes against Namibia who are ranked 16th in the world.
The tour was also a perfect test for the Cricket Cranes as they prepare for the Challenge League B that will be hosted in Kampala and the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
