- Uganda 250/3 in 20 Overs
- Sierra Leone 136/4 in 20 Overs
- Uganda won by 114 runs
Disasters on the very first ball of a tournament opening match are the stuff of nightmares, but for Uganda’s Cricket Cranes, a golden duck on Wednesday morning was merely the opening line of a spectacular story.
When opener Mirza Anas Baig was caught off George Sesay before the Gahanga B Oval could even settle into its rhythm, Sierra Leone briefly held the momentum.
That moment was short-lived, replaced by a ruthless batting display led by debutant Charles Musemeza and lower-order powerhouse Gerald Olipa, who propelled the defending champions to a staggering 114-run victory in their ILT20 Continent Cup 2026 opener.
Chasing a third consecutive title in a pool that includes Rwanda, Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Nigeria, Uganda needed a statement to start their campaign. Musemeza provided the steady hands first, steadying the innings alongside Robinson Obuya’s lively 37.
Showing a veteran’s poise in his debut appearance, Musemeza anchored the middle overs with precision, carving out an 89 run masterclass off 57 deliveries that featured eight boundaries and five towering sixes.
By the time Musemeza’s heroics came to an end in the 19th over, Olipa was already deep into a rampage of his own. Batting with ferocious intent, Olipa too registered T20I half century with an unbeaten 83 off just 34 balls.
Operating at an astonishing strike rate of 244.12, he sent nine balls sailing over the ropes, leaving Sierra Leone’s attack visibly shaken. Skipper Riazat Ali Shah then applied the finishing touches, plundering four sixes in an eight-ball cameo of 32 runs to elevate Uganda’s total to an intimidating 250 for 3.
Chasing a mammoth target of 251, Sierra Leone found themselves suffocated from the outset. While Alusine Turay mounted a courageous solitary stand with a 50 ball 78, the rest of the Sierra Leone batting lineup struggled to break free from Uganda’s disciplined stranglehold.
Breaking the middle stump twice, Juma Miyagi spearheaded the bowling display with figures of 2 for 18 at a stingy economy rate of 4.50, crucially removing Turay just as he threatened to accelerate. Kenneth Waiswa matched Miyagi’s output with a clinical 2 for 20, keeping Sierra Leone pinned down at 136 for 4 as the final overs ticked away.
The comprehensive victory signals that the Cricket Cranes remain the team to beat as they lay down an early marker in Kigali. Uganda will look to carry this dominant form straight into Thursday, September 10, when they return to the Gahanga B Oval at 10:30 AM to square off against Botswana.