Uganda top after one-run thriller

KUALA LUMPUR.

Wooooah! It was a one-run win as Uganda stole thunder to edge Denmark to go top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League (WCL) Division IV in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday.
The victory was the the third successive for the Cricket Cranes and drew them level on six points with Denmark but Steve Tikolo’s boys took the top spot on the standings after Round IV of the games courtesy of a better Net Run Rate (NRR) of 1.464.
There will never be enough superlatives and anecdotes to relive some scenarios.
But Uganda captain Roger Mukasa produced a memorable final over full of magical moments as he defended five runs in the rain-shortened game at Kinrara Academy Oval to ensure Uganda stay alive in their fight to return to the WCL Division III.
Mukasa is quite a character. After all his trusted bowlers had been hit around the pack as the Danes breezed in on the set 57 runs in 5.2 overs with seven wickets in hand, Mukasa introduced himself into the attack.
What followed was a beautiful spectacle for Uganda but a bizarre one for Denmark.Mukasa’s off-spin brought mayhem with Anique Uddin (2) getting run out by Brian Masaba off the first ball of the over and was followed back to the pavilion by Basit Raja (0) who was adjudged Leg Before Wicket (LBW) the next ball.
Needing two runs for victory, Jonas Henriksen (6) flashed hard outside off-stump but was caught by Irfan Afridi on the fifth ball before Bashir Shah (1) got himself run out by Frank Nsubuga while attempting a suicidal second run trying to secure a tie on the last ball of the innings to hand Uganda a memorable win.
And with the Ugandan ship looking destined to sink, Mukasa’s six-ball spell turned it around with four wickets to complete a heroic turn around that was wildly celebrated on the oval as the Ugandan dugout, reserves sprinted on to the field to celebrate a win that could see them back in Division III.
“We never stopped believing that we could win it,” said Mukasa. “The coach and the boys backed me up to do the job and I have also never doubted myself. But the manner in which we pulled it off in the end was unbelievable.”
Uganda had earlier set 215 for 8. But the Danes were set 131 in 29 overs after the rain-intervention. Under-19 graduates Kenneth Waiswa (37 off 17) and Fred Achelam (39 off 28), who won the Man of Match award, added 60 runs in the last five overs to help build a solid total for Uganda’s bowlers to defend.

Yesterday’s results
Uganda 215/8 (130) Denmark 129/1o
*Uganda won by 1 run (DLS Method)
Bermuda 181/9 Vanuatu 183/6
*Vanuatu won by four wicketsy
Jersey 270/8 (232) Malaysia 221/7
*Jersey won by 10 runs (DLS Method)rk

AFTER TWO ROUNDS
TEAM M W L T PTS NRR
Uganda 4 3 1 0 6 1.464
Denmark 4 3 1 0 6 0.510
Jersey 4 2 2 0 4 0.174
Malaysia 4 2 2 0 4 -0.057
Vanuatu 4 1 3 0 2 -0.866
Bermuda 4 1 3 0 2 -0.879