UAE, Uganda pick up wins in Pearl of Africa T20 Series
By our reporter
ENTEBBE – The United Arab Emirates and host Uganda both recorded wins as the Pearl of Africa T20 Series entered Day 2 on Friday at the Entebbe Cricket Oval in Entebbe.
Uganda ensured they did not disappoint their fans again when they scored 180/4 in 20 overs, while Nigeria could only manage 85/5 in 18 overs.
Robinson Obuya picked a game-high 58 runs for Uganda, while Shrideep Mangela and Raghav Dhawan each picked 33 runs. Isaac Danladi was Nigeria’s highest scorer with 26 runs.
Uganda captain Juma Miyagi told Xinhua that players were happy to collect their first win in the series.
“After losing the opening match to Namibia on Thursday, we are happy to win a match today, and we must continue with the same attitude in the other matches we play,” added Miyagi.
Rahul Chopra and Alishan Sharafu were in good form for the UAE, scoring 50 and 37 runs respectively. Dhiren Gondaria was Kenya’s highest scorer with 45 runs.
“We started off well and picked several runs, and later kept it tight when we got to the fielding. We will keep the same momentum in the other matches to come,” Chopra told Xinhua afterwards.
Action returns on Saturday with Nigeria, who have lost their first two matches, taking on Namibia, while the day’s later action sees the UAE face Uganda.
The Pearl of Africa Series serves as preparation ahead of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup Qualifier in September.
