Kenya destroy Uganda, Canada next

What you need to know:

Cricket. The top two teams at this event will qualify for Division I, a top four finish guarantees staying in Division II whereas the bottom two will be relegated back to Division III

WINDHOEK. One win, two losses is the Cricket Cranes story, at the Pepsi Division II International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League tournament, thus far, here in Windhoek, Namibia.
But even after suffering an annihilation courtesy of Kenya by five wickets in yesterday’s East African derby at the Trustco United Oval, the Cricket Cranes cannot afford to drop their shoulders and lose morale with two determined fixtures to play.

Bundled out
The Ugandans were a complete no-show as Kenya bundled them out for a paltry 129 in 43.2 overs and then proceeded to coast to victory with 101 balls to spare and five wickets in hand. Left-hander Arthur Kyobe top scored with 24 runs and showed solidity in a 44-run opening partnership with Abram Mutyagaba (14/33) but what followed was mind boggling.
Left-arm orthodox Shem Ngoche (4/17), his sibling James Ngoche (1/11) and Elijah Otieno (1/24) ignited the mother of all collapses as Uganda found themselves reeling at 77/6 in 19.3 overs. Shem trapped Mutyagaba for Leg Before Wicket (LBW) and immediately sent Roger Mukasa packing in similar fashion for a golden duck.
Kyobe then got run out at 46/3 and Mukasa’s elder sibling Lawrence Ssematimba, too, didn’t bother the scorers. Phillemon Mukobe and skipper Frank Nsubuga tried to rebuild the innings but both fell for 21 trying too hard to up the scoring tempo whereas Adelaide-based Patrick Ochan was the last man out with a battling 14. The chase was one-way traffic from the onset despite the Kenyans conniving to lose five wickets.
Alex Obanda (32/45), Irfan Karim (26/60), Narendra Patel (27/37) and Collins Obuya (28/33) were all among the runs as the top four did the job to continue Kenya’s flawless record against Uganda in ICC-sanctioned competitive matches.
Ochan and Nsubuga delayed the inevitable by snaring two wickets apiece on a day that saw the Ugandans turn in arguably their worst shift with the bat since January 2014 in New Zealand.

Turnaround of fortunes
Coach Peter Kirsten will be hoping there is a turnaround of fortunes for his ‘firing blanks’ outfit against Canada at the Wanderers Affies Park today.
“Look, we have not yet played our best cricket and yet we have a victory to our names,” Kirsten said, after painful loss to Kenya, while rallying his charges in the team meeting held soon after the match award was given to Shem for his parsimonious bowling figures of 4 for 17.
“Canada (lost to Nepal yesterday) are not faring any better. We can beat them if the batsmen come to the party. One of our top four guys must get at least a 50 if we are to set the 200-run target. The fans back at home must continue believing because this team is capable of winning the remaining two round-robin games.”