Kenya’s cricket team poor run continued when they lost their second match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Group B to Uganda yesterday at the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Muscat, Oman
Chasing 253 for 7, Uganda batters came to the party to help their side beat their East Africa neighbours by three wickets and resister their maiden major win over Kenya.
This was Kenya’s second loss in the event and fifth in a row in Oman. Before losing to Italy on Tuesday at the same venue, Kenya had lost all their three warm-up matches to the United Arab Emirates.
The win was sealed with four balls to spare after a century stand for the third wicket was good revenge on Steve Tikolo's boys, who had lost to Kenya for the ticket to the October’s ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers.
After Lameck Onyango and Lucas Oluoch had given Kenya a good start by leaving Uganda on 22 for 2 after six overs, Shahzad Ukani (60) and Ronak Patel (86) got Uganda back into the match with 105 runs stand in 25 overs.
The two held their nerves despite the experience that Kenya had in their bowling unit. Skipper Irfan Karim tried out six bowlers to break the stand but the two remained steady while waiting for the poor deliveries.
They were able to hit 14 boundaries and two sixes in the process before Rakep Patel trapped Ukani.
Dinesh Nakrani (32) gave Patel some solid stand of 60 runs that made the match evenly balanced.
Kenya hit Uganda hard with 10 overs to go when Nehemiah Odhiambo picked two wickets in consecutive deliveries to leave the board on 182 for 5. Odhiambo was again involved in making it 208 for 6 when he run out Kenneth Waiswa.
Kenya’s big moment in their defence came with 34 needed off 29 balls when Odhiambo bagged his second of the day by dismissing Patel.
But that was how far their effort could go as skipper Brian Masaba (22) and Francis Nsubuga (11) scored the winning runs.
Electing to bat, Kenya had a good start with Karim (37) and Naman Patel (60) putting on 88 for the first wicket. The momentum that the two had put on in 22 overs was then picked up by Dhiren Gondaria (53) in the second wicket which got the scores to 130 after 28.3 overs.
Rakep didn’t trouble the scorers as he was caught behind on one before Collins Obuya gave Gondaria support in a fourth wicket stand to get the scores to 186.
Rushab Patel and Lucas Oluoch then chipped in with unbeaten 32 and 16 as Kenya scored 67 in 10 overs.
