The Cricket Cranes continued their recent dominance over neighbors Kenya, securing a resounding victory in the African Games bronze medal match on Saturday.
The Cricket Cranes who disappointed against Namibia in the semifinals showed up with the bat this time. They put their rivals to the sword, beating them by 106 runs.
Simon Ssesazi (66) and Dinesh Nakrani (51*) each registered half centuries while Roger Mukasa (25) and Robinson Obuya (28) turned up decently with the bat as well.
Mukasa’s score took his tally to 230 runs in the competition. He ends the tournament as the player with the most runs. Ssesazi meanwhile finishes third with 180, 50 behind his teammate.
The batting lineup without a doubt orchestrated the victory, but opening bowler Cosmos Kyewuta was named the Player of the Match. The 22-year-old bagged four wickets as Uganda gave away only half of the runs they scored.
Henry Ssenyondo picked two wickets, the trio of Bilal Hassun, Juma Miyaji and Alpesh Ramjani each picked one, but the latter ends the competition as the best bowler. He bagged a total of 13 wickets, two more than the next person.
A Momentous Farewell for Kenyan Legend
Uganda walked away with a medal, but this match will be remembered for ages as it is one that witnessed Kenyan legend Collins Obuya hang his boots up.
The 42-year-old whose international debut came in 2001 got ducked in his final game, but he crowns his career on a high.
‘Kolo’ as he is known by his teammates totalled 184 runs which places him second, only behind Mukasa in the batting chart.
Kenya found the chase a daunting task. They managed to put on board only 100 runs.
Had it not been for the middle order partnership of the team vice captain Lucas Ndandason (19) and former captain Shem Ngoche (19), it could’ve been worse for the Simbas.
The win makes it six for Uganda in the last seven encounters between the two sides, and the third successive time Kenya is losing terribly to their neighbors.
Courtesy Photos
