- Game 5: Eagles XI v Cricket Cranes
- Match Result: Eagles 159 all out, Uganda 53/4 – No Result
The final 50 Over game between the Eagles of Namibia and the Cricket Cranes ended in a stalemate after a persistent drizzle prevented the game from finishing. By the time the heavens opened, only six balls were needed to get a result out of the game.
The Cricket Cranes made three changes with Cyrus Kakuru, Bilal Hassun and Henry Ssenyondo coming in for Charles Mushemeza, Cosmas Kyewuta and Matthew Musinguzi.
The Eagles won the toss and elected to bat first. Uganda was strong with the ball and made some early inroads with Captain Riazat Ali Shah getting the breakthrough, and he was backed up by Joseph Baguma (4/42), who produced his best figures in the yellow colours.
The final total could have been less than 159 if Gerhard Erasmus, the highest run scorer for the hosts, wasn’t given a let off by the umpire when he was at the start off the bowling of Baguma.
In response, Robinson Obuya departed off the first ball of the second innings, and while Simon Ssesazi and Gerald Olipa stuck around, they hardly got the bat to ball in a great exhibition of pace bowling from the hosts.
The four wickets that Uganda lost were all caught behind, an indication of the sheer pace from the visitors and a lesson for the Ugandan batters on things to work on when they come back home.
The game was interrupted in the 19th over, and for a result to happen in a 50 Over game, you need at least 20 Overs for DLS to kick in, with the 50 Over series ending one-nil in favour of the hosts.
The Cricket Cranes will return home with a glimpse of the type of quality waiting for them in the Global 50 Over World Cup qualifier.
Namibia are struggling in the World Cricket League, and if Uganda make it out of Tanzania unscathed, Namibia will be one of the teams they have to go through to become an ODI team.
The same problems still haunt the Cricket Cranes, which is the batting of the team against high pace. A very young team was carried for the series, and the experience will open their eyes to how much work they need to put in to be comfortable in international cricket.
Anas Baig was the most outstanding of the new boys, showing that he has grown up and is willing to learn, while Charles Mushemeza never got much of a run apart from the odd 50 Over game.
Matthew Musinguzi is still finding his feet and didn’t get much of a look in apart from the first 50 Over team, and the returning Bilal Hassun used all his experience whenever he got a chance.
