The Cricket Cranes wrapped up their South African tour with a disappointing loss to the SuperSport Titans XI (SPICA), falling by four wickets in the third and final game at the Tuks Cricket Oval in Pretoria.
Despite having already secured the three-match series 2-1, Uganda’s batting lineup collapsed in the final outing, posting a below-par total of 89 in 17.1 overs. The Titans chased down the target with 18 balls to spare, finishing on 90 for 6 in 17 overs.
Uganda elected to bat first but struggled from the onset. Early breakthroughs by SPICA bowlers Reo Sakurano-Thomas and Natenzi Denenga disrupted Uganda’s rhythm. Only Robinson Obuya showed resistance, scoring a hard-fought 38, while Juma Miyaji chipped in with 16 runs towards the tail end of the innings. The rest of the top and middle order failed to make an impact, continuing a worrying trend throughout the tour.
In reply, SPICA stumbled early with the dismissal of Thinus Gouws for a duck, but a steady 44 off 36 balls from Nathan Trevethan, supported by Tlhowi Davies (17) and a brisk 22 from Divan De Villiers, guided the Titans to a comfortable win. Uganda’s spin duo of Alpesh Ramjani Ravilal and Henry Ssenyondo managed two wickets each, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
Uganda’s head coach Abhay Sharma didn’t mince words in his post-match comments.
“The scoreline says everything. We put on a poor score. Definitely, the wicket was slower, but no excuses. We tried to make a match of it. Our batsmen must focus on building innings and implementing the plans.”
Top-order batsman Robinson Obuya echoed similar sentiments, urging the team to take the lessons forward.
“We have a lot to learn from this game as batsmen. We must find a method of always scoring runs to give our bowlers something to work with. We are a strong team, but we are lacking in backing ourselves to deliver.”
Despite the loss, Uganda won the series 2-1 and will now travel to Harare to prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier. The team will be hoping to carry forward the positives from the tour while addressing the glaring issues with the bat.
Match Summary – Game Three
• Uganda XI: 89 all out in 17.1 overs
• SuperSport Titans XI: 90/6 in 17 overs
• Result: SPICA won by 4 wickets
• Series Result: Uganda won 2-1
