ENTEBBE, Uganda, July 22 — Hosts Uganda defeated arch-rivals Kenya by 28 runs to make it three wins from three in the ongoing Pearl of Africa T20 Series at the Entebbe Cricket Oval on Monday.
Uganda won the toss and opted to bat first, notching 157/5 across their allotted 20 overs. Raghav Dhawan and Robinson Obuya led the charge with contributions of 41 and 40 runs respectively, while Dinesh Kumar Nakransi added 24.
In response, Kenya struggled to gain momentum and were restricted to 129/7 in their 20 overs. Rakep Patel was the standout performer for the visitors with a match-high 58 runs, while Sachin Gill chipped in with 30.
“Again, we are very happy to win our third straight match,” said Uganda captain Juma Miyaji. “We shall go back to the drawing board since it’s a round-robin format and we will face all the other teams for a second time.”
Earlier in the day, the United Arab Emirates notched their second victory of the tournament with a dominant seven-wicket win over Nigeria.
Nigeria were bowled out for just 58 runs in 13.3 overs, with Isaac Danladi top-scoring with 17. The UAE chased down the target comfortably, reaching 59/3 in only 4.5 overs.
Alishan Sharafu scored 36 runs, while Asif Khan added 11. Action will resume on Tuesday with Kenya taking on Namibia, while Uganda face Nigeria, who are yet to register a win in the tournament.
The Pearl of Africa Series serves as crucial preparation for the participating teams ahead of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup Qualifiers scheduled for September. (Xinhua)
