Cricket Cranes retains Pearl of Africa (POA) T20 Series title After Epic ‘Final’ Win Over UAE
David GOMBE
The Cricket Cranes have successfully defended their title at the second edition of the Pearl of Africa (POA) T20 Series after edging pre-tournament favourites United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 8 runs in a thrilling winner-takes-all contest on the final day of action at the picturesque lakeside Entebbe Oval.
The victory sealed a flawless campaign for Uganda, who finished the double round-robin tournament unbeaten with 12 points from six matches, dashing UAE’s hopes of snatching the crown
on Net Run Rate had they won.
Match Summary – Game 8
Uganda: 170/7 (20) (A Ramjani 61, R Dhawan 56; A Raja 2/31, A Haider 2/37)
UAE: 162/9 (20) (M Zohaib 30, E D’Souza 32; D Nakrani 2/24, F Nsubuga 2/31)
Result: Uganda won by 8 runs
Player of the Match: Alpesh Ramjani – 61 (34) & 1/33 (4 overs)
Player of the Tournament: Alpesh Ramjani (Uganda) – 334 points
Best Batsman: Raghav Dhawan (Uganda) 228 runs
Skipper Juma Miyaji led from the front once again, calling right at the toss and opting to bat.
Uganda posted a formidable total of 170/7 thanks to a masterclass partnership of 99 runs in just 51
balls between tourney top run-scorer Raghav Dhawan (56 off 41) and MVP Alpesh Ramjani (61 off 34). The pair’s industrious batting rescued Uganda from a tricky 51/3 in 8.3 overs after early jitters.
UAE’s bowlers tried to rein in Uganda’s momentum with Ali Haider and Akif Raja grabbing two wickets apiece, but the hosts had enough firepower to set a competitive total.
In reply, UAE’s batting depth came to the fore with five players scoring over 22, but none could anchor the innings long enough.
Uganda’s bowlers struck at key moments Dinesh Nakrani (2/24), Frank Nsubuga (2/31), and Matthew Musinguzi (1/15) all playing pivotal roles to restrict the visitors
to 162/9.
“We knew we had to be clinical today,” said captain Miyaji. The energy from the home fans lifted us, and I’m proud of the character shown. This win means
everything heading into the qualifiers.”
Assistant coach Jackson Ogwang praised the team’s resilience:
“We’ve grown a lot this series. Today, we stuck to our plans, adapted quickly, and it’s a deserving win. The runs on board made us believe that we could carry the day and beat a team ranked better
than us.”
With this landmark victory, Uganda not only secured regional bragging rights but also valuable T20I ranking points as they continue their march toward the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers
later this year.