A six-wicket loss to Papua New Guinea (PNG) will ordinarily give team Uganda a wake-up call ahead of the ICC Twenty20 Global World Cup Qualifiers showpiece starting Friday in UAE. And the lessons learnt from that Tuesday’s build-up match defeat will be vital when they face Afghanistan in another warm up tie in Dubai on Wednesday.
The Asians, who went past neighbours Kenya to qualify for the 2015 ODI World Cup, also lost their first build-up tie to Canada by seven wickets with three balls to spare. And both sides are itching to have the taste of victory which sets up a not only anticipated but also a crucial match that could map a right picture for Uganda’s bid to finish among the top six in UAE.
After Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi returned nought against the North Americans, it is obvious he will want to come hard at the Ugandan bowlers in Dubai. Rotation of bowlers One of the key aspects is that Uganda’s coaches Johan Rudolph and Henry Okecho will need to find a way of rotating their bowling unit in order to limit conceding runs in this short but quick format of cricket.
Against PNG, spinners seemed comfortable compared to the seamers. Left-arm spinner Henry Senyondo, Davis Karashani and Roger Mukasa all bowled four overs each with only the former giving away more than 20 runs. Another spinner Frank Nsubuga took figures of 1/8 in his three overs.
But when pace man Patrick Ochan got the ball, he conceded 10 in his over. His fellow death bowling partner left-arm seamer Charles Waiswa leaked 17 runs – both in the death bowling. And when Karashani handed seamer Brian Masaba the ball in the penultimate over when PNG needed five to win from 12 balls, he gave away 13 runs in four balls.
Bear in mind Nsubuga had a balance of an over. It is quite key bowling rotation on these spin-favouring could be a factor if Uganda is to make huge steps at the global stage. Before Rudolph left for Dubai at the weekend, he emphasized batting would be a vital ingredient in carrying Uganda above its expectations. In comparison to last year’s qualifiers, the batting statistics were quite awful that during his four-month stay here, the South African put keen notice on the batting phases.
Quite impressive there was a partnership even when the top order failed to strike the right codes against PNG. But it is not a guarantee that the openers’ errors will be covered by the middle order and late order batsmen. Hence Arthur Kyobe and Roger Mukasa need serious uplifts if Uganda can cope with the pressure of chasing scores above 130 runs. Furthermore, more partnerships ought to come through at any time in the innings.
Team Uganda:
Davis Arinaitwe Karashani (captain), Hamu Kayondo Bagenda, Arthur Solomon Kyobe, Brian Masaba, Roger Mukasa, Abram Ndhlovu Mutyagaba, Phillemon Selowa Mukobe, Frank Nsubuga, Richard Gideon Okia, Raymond Otim, Patrick Ochan, Jonathan Sebanja, Henry Senyondo, Almuzahim Hamza Saleh, Charles Waiswa
ICC TWENTY20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS – UAE WEDNESDAY BUILD-UP GAMES
Afghanistan vs. Uganda (Dubai)
Ireland vs. PNG (Dubai CA)
Nepal vs. USA (Abu Dhabi)
Bermuda vs. Canada (Dubai CA 2)
Hong Kong vs. Kenya (Abu Dhabi 2)
Italy vs. Netherlands (Dubai CA)
Namibia vs. Scotland (Abu Dhabi)
UAE vs. Denmark (Abu Dhabi 1)