‎Cricket Cranes end Mumbai Tour with valuable lessons despite final T20 defeat

‎
‎Uganda’s Cricket Cranes wrapped up their historic tour of Mumbai with a spirited performance despite suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Triumph Knights NE in the final T20 match at the MCA Recreation Centre.
‎
‎While the loss handed the hosts a 3-1 victory in the T20 series, Uganda returned home with plenty to celebrate after winning the overall eight-match white-ball tour 5-3, thanks largely to a dominant 4-0 sweep of the 50-over matches.
‎
‎After losing the toss and being asked to bat first in sweltering conditions nearing 40 degrees Celsius, Uganda made a bright start through opener Simon Ssesazi, whose aggressive 18 runs from 12 balls helped the visitors race to 22 without loss.
‎
‎However, the Triumph Knights pace attack quickly turned the tide. Aishwary Surve and Minad Manjrekar exploited the local conditions expertly as Uganda collapsed from 22 without loss to 40 for six.
‎
‎Joseph Baguma offered resistance with a team-high 21 runs, while Juma Miyaji chipped in with 12 as the pair briefly steadied the innings. Their efforts were not enough to prevent Uganda from being bowled out for 70 in 16.2 overs.
‎Defending a modest target of 71, the Cricket Cranes showed admirable determination with the ball.
‎
‎Fast bowler Juma Miyaji sparked hopes of an unlikely comeback with an impressive spell that saw him remove Jigar Rana, captain Akhil Herwadkar and Sagar Mishra. His figures of 3 for 21 reflected Uganda’s fighting spirit throughout the contest.
‎
‎The hosts, however, found a match-winner in wicketkeeper-batsman Vedant Murkar, who blasted an unbeaten 45 off just 22 deliveries, including seven boundaries and a six, to steer Triumph Knights NE to victory in only 8.5 overs.
‎Despite the defeat, Uganda’s coaching staff remained upbeat about the progress made during the tour.
‎
‎Cricket Cranes head coach Steve Tikolo described the Mumbai assignment as an important part of the team’s development ahead of future international competitions.
‎
‎“Tough day in the office. The boys have put in the hard yards to play in such conditions of 40 degrees Celsius,” said Tikolo.
‎
‎“We didn’t bat well but the attitude was right with the ball. We have played eight tough games and we have enough lessons to take back home and continue to improve as we gear up for the ICC tournaments and International League T20.”
‎
‎Tikolo also highlighted the growth of the squad, noting that experienced players had performed well while younger members continued to adapt to the demands of international cricket.
‎
‎“It is important we add another set of bricks on the foundation laid,” he added.
‎Captain Fred Achelam echoed his coach’s sentiments, emphasizing the value of the experience gained during the tour.
‎
‎“It’s been a good tour. We came, saw and most of all we learnt,” Achelam said.
‎“We lost the toss and they asked us to bat and made the most of their conditions. The target we set, we fought to make a good game out of it.”
‎
‎Achelam also praised the team’s overall performance across the eight matches.
‎
‎“For the whole tour, we have done well to win five out of eight matches. It has been all about going with the processes and then we always wanted to tick that box and let the results take care of themselves.”
‎