Baby Cricket Cranes lose Ategeka after India beating

Team Uganda will do without top-order batsman Isaac Ategeka for the rest of the tournament at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies after he suffered an upper limb injury on Saturday.

Ategeka retired hurt after the short first delivery from fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar (2/8) pitched to his left arm during Uganda’s 326-run loss to record four-time winners India at the Brian Lara Academy Oval in Tarouba.

“The X-ray showed a simple fracture,” said one of the Team Uganda officials. “The hand has been placed in a cast and should heal in six weeks.”

Ategeka received treatment from India’s physio and Uganda’s Habiba Kulsum but he could only face four more balls before retiring in pain.

Opening innings

The 17-year-old had previously batted at number three against Ireland (24 off 64) and South Africa (29 off 72) and here, coach Ivan Thawithemwira had drafted him to open the innings in Uganda’s pursuit of 406 runs.

This was the third straight time Thawi was shuffling the opening batsmen, this time Ategeka opening with Brian Asaba.

Ronald Omara and Fahd Mutagana opened against South Africa but didn’t return to the starting XI. Instead, Ronald Lutaaya and Ronald Opio, who faced the new ball against Ireland, were back, coming on at four and six.

India had set a mammoth 405-5, the fifth biggest total in tournament history, thanks to an exquisite batting display punctuated by centuries from opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi (144 runs off 150 balls) and Raj Bawa (162* runs off 108 balls).

Yet, Uganda’s well-known fielding craft had come to the fore early when they had India at 5-2 after 15.1 overs with opener Harnoor Singh and Nishant Sindhu departed each with 15 runs.

But Raghuvanshi lit up his wagon wheel by smashing 22 boundaries and four sixes, sometimes for fun, for a stellar third-wicket partnership of 206 runs with Bawa before he fell to Yunusu Sowobi (1/70) in the 38th over.

Left-hander Bawa continued to hit, breaking opener Shikhar Dhawan’s record for the best individual score by an Indian at the championship. Dhawan scored 155 runs against Kenya in 2004.

India could have broken the tournament record (480-6 by Australia against Kenya in 2002) for the best batting total had captain Pascal Murungi (3/72) not made some key bowling rotation. 

With Ategeka retired, his replacement Cyrus Kakuru departed on the next ball for a golden duck at the end of the first over. There would be three more ducks.

GROUP B FINAL STANDINGS

Team P W L NR Pts NRR

1.India 3 3 0 0 6 3.633

2.South Africa 3 2 1 0 4 1.558

3.Ireland 3 1 2 0 2 -1.959

4.Uganda 3 0 3 0 0 -3.240

NR: Net run | NRR: Net rate run

PLATE QUARTER FINAL - 5pm

Jan 25: UAE vs. Uganda

Jan 25: Ireland vs. Canada

Jan 26: Zimbabwe vs. Scotland

Jan 26: West Indies vs. PNG

UGANDA’S RESULTS

Ireland 236/9 Uganda 197/10

(Ireland won by 39 runs)

S. Africa 231/9 Uganda 110/10

(South Africa won by 121 runs)

India 405/5 Uganda 79/10

(India won by 326 runs)