Bilateral Cricket Series – Qatar Tour
Thursday, Feb 8 – T20 Result
Qatar President XI 130/8 beat
Uganda 117/5 lose by 13 runs
Today, Feb 9, Day/Night Game
50-Overs: Qatar vs. Uganda
1pm, Asian Town Cricket Stadium
DOHA. No loss is light. And despite this being a friendly and build-up bilateral series, there was visible pain in captain Roger Mukasa and coach Steve Tikolo’s eyes as the Cricket Cranes went down to Qatar President’s XI by 13 runs in the tour opening Twenty20 blitz at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium on Thursday night.
Playing under the floodlights for the first time in a long while, the Cricket Cranes reduced the hosts to 130 runs in the allotted 20 overs with Deus Muhumuza applying the brakes regularly in his Man of Match (MOM) bowling spell that saw him record figures of 6 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs.
But as Muhumuza provided a spectacle with his wily bowling shift of cutters and slower balls, the Qataris, too, had a couple of tricks up their sleeves.
Strong partnership.
Although Mukasa (33 off 35) and budding youngster Zephaniah Arinaitwe (27 of 30) gave Uganda a rock-solid 56-run opening partnership in nine overs, the end of their respective innings in a space of four overs left Uganda without a free-scoring batsman in the middle.
Hamu Kayondo (23 off 24) and Lloyd Paternott (16 off 22) held forte but their partnership played into the hosts’ hands whose quartet of spinners led by captain Tamoor Sajjad (2/17), Mohammed Waleed (2/18) stifled the runs flow to leave Uganda needing 50 runs from the last five overs at 10 per over.
Halting runs flow
Galfar Anoop (0/18) and Mujeeb Ur-Rehman (1/17 in 4) tightened the noose further as the Ugandan batsmen forewent the risk for quick runs and opted to play longer but fruitless innings.
With 31 needed off the last two overs, the game was as good as over as a contest. Irfan Afridi (8 off 8) and Riazat Ali Shah (3* off 3) swung their willows with might but no precision and the result was pretty much known before Paternott was trapped Leg Before Wicket (LBW) on the last bowl of the match – a hit that left him in unbelievable pain and hospitalized after he twisted his right knee.
Learning to adapt
“The score they set was gettable,” confessed Mukasa. “T20 is a fast code. We were on top during the chase but dozed off for a couple of overs and they dominated with their spinners. The wicket was also tough to play on as the balls kept very low. We are on the back foot on the series but we have learnt that we must adapt early to the situations.”
Mukasa and his teammates will want to show their bouncebackability immediately when they take on Qatar’s senior men’s side in a Day-Night Limited Overs (50-Over) encounter at same stadium today under the floodlights – that give the fans a beautiful spectacle but tough conditions for the Ugandan fans.