Uganda beat Papua New Guinea by three wickets in a low-scoring thriller, in match 9 of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday (June 6). The game was played at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, West Indies. (As It Happened | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
Chasing a seemingly modest target of 78 runs, Uganda huffed and puffed their way before getting over the line with 10 balls to spare. The victory was a historic first-ever for Uganda at the T20 World Cups.
It did not seem like the match would end in as close a battle as it turned out to be, at the innings break. An all-round bowling effort from Uganda skittled PNG for just 77 runs in 19.1 overs.
Alpesh Ramjani, Cosmas Kyewuta, Juma Miyagi and Frank Nsubuga all chipped in with two wickets apiece, in addition to captain Masaba's dismissal of Chad Soper. The 43-year-old Nsubuga ended with astounding figures of 4-2 off his four overs, making it the most economical bowling spell in T20 World Cup history.
But PNG responded in kind, striking in the Uganda innings' first over and finding constant breakthroughs in the first seven overs. At one stage, Uganda were five down for just 26 runs in 6.3 overs and staring down the barrel.
But Riazat Ali Shah played a responsible knock in the middle order and ensured that the Brian Masaba-led team won the match without further hiccups. For PNG, Alei Nao was the pick of the bowlers, scalping two wickets for just 16 runs off his four overs.
It was eventually the glaringly large number of wides (15) that hurt PNG's cause, as the batters found outlets amid the fall of wickets.
Earlier, Masaba won the toss and decided to bowl first. This was the second match of the tournament for both the Associate teams. Both teams suffered losses in their respective previous games - Uganda slumped to a 125-run defeat against Afghanistan, while West Indies beat PNG by five wickets.
Playing XIs
Papua New Guinea: Tony Ura, Assad Vala (C), Lega Siaka, Sese Bau, Hiri Hiri, Kiplin Doriga, Charles Amini, Norman Vanua, Alei Nao, Chad Soper, John Kariko.
Uganda: Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Robinson Obuya, Dinesh Nakrani, Riazat Ali Shah, Alpesh Ramjani, Kenneth Waiswa, Brian Masaba (C), Juma Miyagi, Cosmas Kyewuta, Frank Nsubuga.
Uganda will next face West Indies on June 9 in Guyana, while PNG will next head to Tarouba for their clash against Afghanistan on June 14.
