On a wicket taking a lot of turn, the day belonged to Ugandan spinners with Henry Ssenyondo leading the way with 4/36 supported by Frank Nsubuga 2/25 and the captain Davis Karashani taking 1/35 helping Uganda to a 5 wicket win over Kenya.
Kenya won the toss and elected to bat first.
With the low turn and bounce, Kenya struggled to get going losing wickets without building any serious partnerships. Only Irfan Karim (24) and Nelson Odhiambo (38) managed scores to write about. The Simbas only managed 147 all out in 44.3 overs.
Team Uganda had a clear game plan of staying on the wicket, uncharacteristic of recent batting shows there were no rush shots from Uganda.
Hum Kayondo and Arthur Kyobe were steady in the run chase even the 5 wickets lost never derailed the run chase with Roger Mukasa falling with only 10 runs required.
The Simbas are now on the back foot and will be looking to come back strong on Sunday at Kyambogo.
Commenting on the game, Thomas Odoyo, the coach of the Simbas said;
We didn’t pitch today, we didn’t bat well even though the wicket was tough. Uganda looked sharper than us in the field and credit to them. However we know we are better than this so we shall discuss as a group and come back better on Sunday.
Uganda go into the next game with a 1-0 lead in the 5 match series. Next game is on Sunday at Kyambogo.
Game Summary
Kenya 147 All Out
- Irfan Karim (24) Nelson Odiambo (38)
- Henry Ssenyondo 4/35
Uganda 148/5
- Roger Mukasa (29)
- Hum Kayondo (23)
- Davis Karashani (23).