Gerald Olipa produced another outstanding performance with the bat, smashing 95 from just 52 balls to narrowly miss what would have been Uganda’s second century of the tournament.
Falling just five runs short of matching Robinson Obuya’s historic feat of a century (who went on to reach 118 not out) against Rwanda on Thursday, Olipa struck six fours and eight sixes against Kenya today in Rwanda.
Uganda were in trouble early after losing Mirza Anas Baig (5) and Obuya (16) inside the first four overs, reaching only 41 for two by the end of the powerplay.
Charles Waiswa Musemeza’s 20 from 17 balls helped steady the innings before Olipa took control. He combined with Riazat Ali Shah, who made 32 from 19 balls, to rebuild the innings before Kenneth Waiswa added a rapid 17 from 10 deliveries.
“It’s a good feeling to have three Player of the Match awards in this tournament. It really gives me the confidence to go into other tournaments and prove to the team that I’m capable of scoring runs,” Olipa told Nnalubaale Sports.
Uganda accelerated dramatically in the second half, scoring 127 runs in the final 10 overs to finish on 197 for seven. Olipa was the architect of that recovery before falling for 95 in the 19th over.
“We lost two wickets in the powerplay, but we managed to dig in during the middle phase by taking singles and doubles. They really helped us build confidence and, most importantly, I think our bowlers did their job by hitting their lines.”
By the end of the round-robin, the Cricket Cranes secured the top spot in the ILT20 Continent Cup standings after defeating Kenya by 47 runs at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, setting up a winner-takes-all final against the same opponents tomorrow.
