- Botswana 81/6 in 20 Overs
- Uganda 85/2 in 12.4 Overs
Uganda won by 8 wickets
Uganda’s Cricket Cranes concluded their ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers group B action with a commanding eight-wicket win over Botswana on Monday.
The result carried little weight as Zimbabwe and Tanzania had already sealed the semifinal spots but Uganda made sure to finish third with a professional display.
Captain Riazat Ali Shah won the toss and chose to bowl, making a few changes to the XI.
Robinson Obuya, Cyrus Kakuru, and veteran spinner Frank Nsubuga came in, while Joseph Baguma, Gaurav Tomer, and the injured Juma Miyagi missed out.
Botswana started brightly against seamer Cosmas Kyewuta but soon lost control once Uganda’s spinners took charge.
Nsubuga was miserly in his first outing of the tournament, giving away just 13 runs in four overs.
He was backed by Alpesh Ramjani (1/14), Henry Ssenyondo (1/12), Dinesh Nakrani (2/13), and Shah himself, who struck with 2/7. Botswana never settled, limping to a modest total.
Uganda’s reply began nervously when Ronald Lutaaya was run out without facing a ball and Obuya fell soon after.
But Raghav Dhawan steadied the innings with a fluent unbeaten 54, well supported by Verma Sumeet’s 29 not out. The pair saw Uganda home inside 13 overs.
The win lifted spirits, but it couldn’t change the bigger picture. Uganda’s hopes of returning to the World Cup ended earlier in the week, leaving them to reset and target the 2028 edition in New Zealand.
Uganda will now try to avoid relegation as they play for 5th place as they look to take on either Kenya or Malawi in a placement semifinal.
