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Uganda has created cricket history by clinching a spot in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup set to take place in the West Indies and USA. This marks the first time Uganda will be partaking in an ICC senior men’s World Cup tournament, adding a new chapter to their cricketing journey.
In the recent Africa leg of the Men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers, Uganda showcased remarkable prowess by defeating Rwanda, becoming only the fifth African nation to secure a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Despite Zimbabwe initially appearing set to win their game against Nigeria, Uganda’s nine-wicket triumph over Rwanda secured their spot, leaving Zimbabwe out of a global tournament for the second consecutive time.
Uganda’s journey in the qualifiers unfolded with an impressive eight-wicket victory over Tanzania in their opening game. Despite a setback in the following match against Namibia, where Namibian all-rounder David Wiese’s stellar performance led to a six-wicket defeat, Uganda rebounded strongly. They achieved a significant upset by overcoming Test-playing Zimbabwe, with notable contributions from Dinesh Nakrani’s bowling figures of 3/14 and impactful batting from Riazat Ali Shah (42) and Alpesh Ramjani (40), securing a five-wicket win.
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Buoyed by this success, Uganda continued its winning streak, defeating Nigeria convincingly and securing a 33-run victory over Kenya. The team’s top-notch bowling performance was particularly evident in the nine-wicket win over Rwanda, where they bowled out Rwanda for a mere 65 runs, and chased down comfortably in 8.1 overs.
Contrastingly, Zimbabwe, facing losses against Namibia and Uganda in the Africa qualifier, missed the chance to participate in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. Having failed to secure a top-two finish in the 2019 and 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup qualifiers, Zimbabwe had previously missed out on major tournaments in England and India.
Zimbabwe, a participant in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, where they secured a famous one-run win over Pakistan at Perth in the Super 12 stage, faced setbacks as they missed the 2021 edition due to ICC suspension for government interference in cricket administration.
–IANS
