Kyobe, Ssebanja shine in T20 warm-ups

Cricket. The Nigerians, who are potential banana skins in the five-nation event, have won one of their four build up games.

Uganda XI 128/4 Nigeria 129/6
Uganda XI 133/10 Nigeria 108/9
Uganda XI 145/5 Nigeria 108/8
Nigeria 72/10 Uganda XI 74/6

National team stars Arthur Kyobe and Jonathan Ssebanja proved that they were in good nick ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Africa Division I Twenty20 Championship with decisive displays in yesterday’s two trial games played against early birds Nigeria at Entebbe Oval.

Kyobe and Ssebanja, both left handers have been struggling, but their performances will have vindicated coaches Martin Suji and Steve Tikolo’s choice to name them in the final 18-man squad that will represent the nation.

Kyobe scored a rapid half ton of 56 runs off 39 balls including five boundaries and two sixes as a select Ugandan outfit set 145 for 5.
Under-19 batsman Arnold Otwani shot an unbeaten 30 to the total which proved too much for the West Africans, who managed 108 for 8 to lose the morning match by 37 runs. Lawrence Ssempijja (3/14) and Deus Muhumuza (2/11) were the initiators of Nigeria’s collapse.

In the afternoon, Ssebanja had the Nigerians feeding from his palms with a five-wicket haul that left them reeling at 72 all out in 19.4 overs. Ssebanja’s haul cost only 16 runs and it was only a matter of time as the hosts scripted an easy four-wicket win. Shaaiq Choudhry was unbeaten on 14. The tourney starts on Saturday.

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