Day 1 Results:
- Uganda U-19 161 all out
- Tanzania U-19 164/7
- Tanzania U-19 won by 3 wickets
Day 2 Results:
- Tanzania U-19 189 all out
- Uganda U-19 190/2
- Uganda U-19 won by 8 wickets
Uganda’s Baby Cricket Cranes fought back on day two of their Easter Series against their visiting counterparts Tanzania U-19 to claim an 8-wicket win.
The hosts had suffered a three-wicket loss on Matchday One as both sides continued their preparations for the U-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Nigeria later this month.
The Baby Cricket Cranes struggled with the pace of Khalidy Juma in their first game as he cleaned up the top order for cheap and left the hosts railing at 4/3. A rare guard resistance from Musa Majid (27) and Peter Ocen (47) helped Uganda post a competitive 161 inside 35 overs.
The youngsters were guilty of failing to finish their overs which is a sign of inexperience in the longer format of the game.
The visitors were very good in the run chase and despite losing wickets in intervals they made sure they stayed in the game and kept putting pressure on the Ugandan bowlers. The visitors took their time in the run chase and eventually got home despite losing seven wickets.
In the second game, Tanzania won the toss and elected to bat first. Captain Dylan Manish Thakar led from the front with a well-constructed 73 but a regular loss of wickets was the undoing for the visitors and despite a great start they only managed to finish on 189 all out.
The part-time spin of Gerald Olipa (2/31) alongside Christopher Kidega (2/9) and Musa Majid (3/22) put in a shift with ball in hand.
In the run chase, Olipa (94 not out) made amends for his zero on day one, leading from the front and he found a good partner in Christopher Kidega (79 not out) as the two senior players helped the hosts cruise to an easy 8 wicket win.
It was a more improved performance from the baby Cricket Cranes, especially with the bat. The side managed to score 190 runs in 28 overs something that the technical team will have to worry about. The youngsters have to learn to bat time instead of rushing to score runs.
The sides take a break and will be back in action on Wednesday. The Uganda Emerging side will test both sides before they again in the final of the tournament.
