Waiswa Leads Uganda to Second Straight T20 World Cup Qualifier Win

Uganda’s Cricket Cranes continued their impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier C with a five-wicket victory over Lesotho at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium NCF Oval 2 in Abuja, Nigeria, on Wednesday.

The Cricket Cranes bowled Lesotho out for 87 in 19.3 overs before chasing down the target, reaching 89 for five in just 12.3 overs to secure their second consecutive victory in the six-team competition, with 45 balls to spare.Vice-captain nneth Waiswa was Uganda’s standout performer, claiming four wickets for 18 runs in his four overs to earn the Player of the Match award.

After losing the toss and being sent into the field, Uganda’s bowlers put Lesotho under immediate pressure, reducing them to 30 for four inside the opening nine overs.s Oloka, making his T20 International debut, delivered an impressive performance with one wicket for 14 runs in four overs, while Joseph Baguma also claimed a wicket, bringing his tally to 50 T20 International wickets for the Cricket Cranes.

Former Lesotho captain Maaz Khan offered some resistance, top-scoring with 38 off 32 balls, including four sixes and a boundary, to give his side a brief opportunity to recover.

Khan and his partners lifted Lesotho to 77 before Waiswa dismissed the former captain, caught behind by wicketkeeper Cyrus Kakuru. Waiswa then removed Lefulere Monanthane in the same over, triggering a dramatic collapse.

Lesotho lost their final five wickets for just 10 runs to be dismissed for 87. Waiswa finished with four wickets, while Enock Kasaija claimed two for 12 in 3.3 overs. Oloka, Baguma and Uganda captain Riazat Ali Shah took one wicket apiece.

Uganda’s chase, however, did not begin as smoothly as their bowling effort. New Lesotho captain Ts’episo Chaoana struck early, dismissing Robinson Obuya for a golden duck before trapping Raghav Dhawan leg-before wicket for 10.

Chaoana continued to trouble the Ugandan batters, removing Riazat Ali Shah for a quickfire 26 off 15 deliveries, including three sixes and a four, to leave the Cricket Cranes at 40 for three.

Gerald Olipa provided further momentum with 20 off 11 balls but fell to Mohmed Duvesh Patel before Kenneth Waiswa was dismissed, leaving Uganda at 64 for five and briefly raising hopes of a Lesotho comeback.

Sumeet Verma and Alpesh Ramjani then steadied the innings, combining for an unbeaten 25-run partnership to guide Uganda home.Verma remained unbeaten on 20 off 22 balls, while Ramjani contributed 11 not out from 13 deliveries. Verma sealed the victory with a six as Uganda reached 89 for five in 12.3 overs.

Despite the convincing result, Waiswa acknowledged that the team still had areas to improve, particularly in their batting approach.

He praised the bowlers for maintaining better discipline and reducing the number of extras conceded, but felt Uganda should have completed the chase with fewer wickets lost.

“We improved with the bowling and the lines we bowled, reducing extras from 12 yesterday to four today. More importantly, we restricted them to a low score,” Waiswa said.

“Our undoing today is that we gave the opposition at least three more wickets. We should have chased down the target for two wickets. That would have been smart cricket and it would have been to our standard.”

The victory also strengthened Uganda’s head-to-head record against Lesotho, extending it to two wins from two T20 International meetings. Their previous encounter was in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2021, when Uganda bowled Lesotho out for 26 before winning by 10 wickets.

The Cricket Cranes are targeting a top-two finish in the six-team qualifier to secure progression to the Africa Regional Final on the road to the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

With two victories from their opening two matches, Uganda will look to maintain their momentum when they face The Gambia on October 23, Mozambique on October 24 and hosts Nigeria on October 25.

The Cricket Cranes will be eager to build on their strong bowling performances while sharpening their batting execution as the race for qualification intensifies.