The Cricket Cranes are flying high at the Pearl of Africa (POA) T20 Series, and at the heart of their impressive start is new captain Juma Miyaji, who has led Uganda to back-to-back wins in his debut series as skipper.
Following a dominant 77-run victory over Nigeria on Friday, Uganda held their nerve on Saturday evening to secure a nail-biting 6-run win against world No.13-ranked United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Entebbe Oval, thrilling the home fans.
Uganda, ranked 22nd in ICC T20I standings, won the toss and chose to bat first. The innings began shakily with the early loss of Ronald Lutaaya for a golden duck, but solid contributions from Raghav Dhawan (44) and Shrideep Mangela (39) helped rebuild. A late flurry by Alpesh Ramjani, who struck an unbeaten 21 off just 12 balls, pushed Uganda to a competitive 126/9 in their 20 overs.
In response, UAE looked set for a comfortable chase after openers Muhammad Waseem (33) and Muhammad Zohaib (24) powered them to 55/0 inside 8 overs. But captain Miyaji’s tactical brilliance turned the tide.
Dinesh Nakrani broke the opening partnership by bowling Waseem, and Miyaji himself produced a key run out to dismiss Zohaib. The double blow disrupted UAE’s momentum, and despite cameos from Asif Khan and Zuhaib Zubair, the visitors faltered under pressure.
Uganda’s bowlers stepped up in the death overs, with Miyaji leading by example with figures of 3/28. Nakrani chipped in with 2/22, while Ramjani’s all-round effort (1/17 in 4 overs and 21* with the bat) earned him the Player of the Match award. UAE finished at 120/8, narrowly falling short despite Zubair’s explosive 15 off 6 balls in the final overs.
The win keeps Uganda unbeaten at the POA Series, alongside Namibia A, and adds vital T20I ranking points ahead of the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.
Head coach Abhay Sharma and assistant Jackson Ogwang commended the team’s grit and leadership under Miyaji, but emphasized the need for improved execution going forward.
“This is great momentum, but we can’t relax. Kenya is next, and that’s always a war,” Ogwang said, previewing the much-anticipated “Migingo Derby” against Kenya scheduled for Monday, July 21 at 1:30 PM.
