In a massive upset, Uganda beat continental heavyweights Zimbabwe by five wickets to win two important points in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier in Windhoek, Namibia, on Sunday. The scale of the upset can be gauged from the fact that Uganda are placed at the 23rd spot on the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, whereas Zimbabwe are the only Test-playing team in the cometition and are ranked 11th. (Streaming and Schedule | Cricket News)
This was the first time Uganda were playing a full ICC member in T20Is and they rose to the occasion, registering a heartwarming victory that propped them up to the third position (four points) on the points table. With six points apiece, Namibia and Kenya are in the first and second spots, respectively and Zimbabwe are now languishing in fifth place with two points.
Bowling first, Uganda restricted Zimbabwe to 136/7 and then romped home in 19.1 overs. Zimbabwe found the going tough, losing wickets at regular intervals. While Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza top-scored with 48, the star for Uganda was Dinesh Nakrani, who finished with impressive figures of 3/14. Uganda’s chase was led by Riazat Ali Shah (42) and Alpesh Ramjani (40).
Only the top two teams will qualify for the T20 World Cup next year. After the shock result, Zimbabwe now need other results to go their way if they have to make their way into the World Cup.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 136/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 48; Dinesh Nakrani 3/14) lost to Uganda: 138/5 in 19.1 overs (Riazat Ali Shah 42, Alpesh Ramjani 40) by 5 wickets.
