Akankwasa bat strikes Ceylon Lions
Bubbling enthusiasm. Strikers players celebrate the fall of Ceylon Lions’ Jonathan Ssebanja (not in picture) enroute to their five-wicket league win at the University Oval in Kyambogo on Sunday. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
- There was a brief collapse as Siraj Nsubuga and Ivan Thawithemwira got a duck and five runs respectively, Aarya Parikh (1/35) and Abraham Oduch (3/32) taking charge.
- Youthful Strikers moved to the top of the log after Akankwasa’s boundary-filled 54 not out.
KAMPALA. Strikers Cricket Club players maintain they can challenge for honours even if it is their first season in the top-flight stage of the Jazz Safari National League.
Their five-wicket victory over Ceylon Lions, previously called Charity Trust Fund, at the University Oval in Kyambogo is an indicator the youthful side is already walking its talk. “We believe in ourselves,” said skipper Frank Akankwasa whose solid unbeaten knock of 54 runs off 43 balls helped Strikers chase a target of 158 runs in 31.2 overs.
“We are a very good batting side and only need to keep balancing our act with the ball,” he said.
To test their strength with the ball, Akankwasa opted to stick in his opponents. In-form Lions’ batsman Simon Ssesaazi should have relished batting first. But the left-hander was trapped early by Richard Agamire (1/17) in the 11th over for a meagre 57-ball 16.
Contributions
Experienced Davis Turinawe, on a short stint in Kampala from Rwanda capital Kigali, made 21 off 24 in a brief cameo before Arnold Otwani’s contributed most with a near half-ton of 47 off 49 deliveries. But when Strikers’ Zephaniah Arinaitwe countered the status quo, he picked 4/17 and two maidens in six overs, bowling out Charity for 157 in 36.3 overs.
In the chase, Strikers’ teenage opening partnership of Arinaitwe (33 off 35) and Perry Wazombe (34 off 45) shared 65 runs in 17.2 overs.
There was a brief collapse as Siraj Nsubuga and Ivan Thawithemwira got a duck and five runs respectively, Aarya Parikh (1/35) and Abraham Oduch (3/32) taking charge. But Akankwasa led from the front with a quick-fire knock comprising seven boundaries and three sixes to guide Strikers to their second win in three outings. Elsewhere, KICC beat Premier by 140 runs for their first win of the season. National team all-rounders Frank Nsubuga and Irfan Afridi starred.
