Uganda thrash Kenya again in ACA T20 Cup final
Uganda players celebrate with the trophy after beating Kenya by 91 runs in the 2023 Africa Cricket Association (ACA) T20 Cup final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa, on December 19, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Kenya, who were unbeaten heading into the final, elected to bowl first after winning the toss. The Cricket Cranes set a target of 186 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs of their innings.
- In reply, Kenya were bowled-out in 15.4 overs for just 95 runs.
Uganda extended dominance over Kenya with a 91-run rout of the neighbours in the 2023 Africa Cricket Association (ACA) T20 Cup final at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa, on Tuesday.
The Cricket Cranes successfully defended the ACA T20 Cup title as Botswana finished third after edging out Malawi by three wickets in the play-off held early Tuesday at the same venue.
Uganda’s victory in the eight-team tournament completed what has been a superb year for the Cranes, as they qualified for the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup after finishing second in the Africa Regional qualifiers in Windhoek, Namibia, in November.
The United States of America and West Indies will co-host the World Cup in June.
Uganda qualified alongside leaders Namibia with 10 and 12 points, respectively.
Having missed a ticket to the World Cup after finishing a disappointing fifth with six points in the Africa Regional qualifiers, Kenya hoped to make amends by winning the ACA T20 Cup. But it was not the case as Uganda, who continue to show tremendous improvement, again proved too strong for Kenya - who boast of five appearances at the World Cup.
Kenya, who were unbeaten heading into the final, elected to bowl first after winning the toss. The Cricket Cranes set a target of 186 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs of their innings.
In reply, Kenya were bowled-out in 15.4 overs for just 95 runs.
Due to leadership wrangles that rocked Cricket Kenya for the last decade, interfering with talent development structure, the country has fallen down the pecking order in the sport, with Uganda emerging as the new giants.
Batsman Robinson Obuya steered the Cricket Cranes to victory with 57 runs from 38 balls. Dinesh Nakrani was also instrumental in Uganda’s innings, with 29 runs off 25 balls.
The win was the fifth that Uganda registered over Kenya this year in six meetings, laying bare how they have overtaken Kenya in the sport.
At the Africa Regional qualifiers, played in a round robin format, Uganda defeated Kenya by 33 runs.
At the inaugural Continent Cup T20 Africa held at Nairobi Gymkhana in June, the two neighbours clashed four times, with the Cricket Cranes winning three matches, including the final by one run.
In the first round of the Continent Cup T20 Africa, where teams met three times, Kenya defeated Uganda by 88 runs, but the Cricket Cranes won the two other matches by 47 runs and five wickets, respectively.
