Win or bust for Uganda XI in Quadrangular Series

KAMPALA. There was a vigil of a meeting at Lugogo Cricket Oval as Uganda Select coach Michael Ndiko and manager Alvin Bagaya grilled their players after the 104-run loss to Takashinga on Wednesday evening.
Bagaya and Ndiko didn’t beat about their bush in their post-match reservations about the below par display of Brian Masaba and his men which they collectively termed as ‘league standard’.

And to put the big picture into perspective, Uganda Select didn’t wholly play bad cricket after they bowled out the visiting Zimbabwean outfit for 196 after restricting them to 30 for 4 and 160 for 7 at certain intervals despite failing to kill off the ‘enemy’ who set 196 and then only managed a paltry 92 all out in the limping chase.

Bagaya, in particular, was incensed by the laid back attitude and failure to grasp and execute some basics of the game by the Ugandan side. “This is international cricket. The guys cannot continue doing the same mistakes repetitively and think they can go away with it,” said Bagaya, also a veteran left-arm spinner with local franchise Nile Cricket Club.
“At this big stage, the game is won by small margins and teams capitalise on the other’s mistakes to win matches. Some of these guys may still be youngsters but it is time for them to start delivering. Hopefully they can pick something from the talk. Let’s see what happens in the second round of the series.”

Win or bust
Such is the scenario in the series, Uganda Select and Davis Karashani’s Uganda XI sides find themselves in a win or bust situation as Round Two of the Uganda Quadrangular Series gets underway.
Uganda Select lie third on the four-team log with six points and must win all their three Round Two rubbers to stand any chance of winning the tournament and cash prize at stake.
Uganda XI is second on 12 points, six less than leaders Takashinga (18), and have no room for error when they engage the star-studded Zimbabwean outfit at Kyambogo Oval today.

“Some of the guys are playing with purpose,” said Tikolo after an authoritative 213-run over Kenya XI on Wednesday. “But I will only be happy if we can beat Takashinga. The batting must come to the party and carry us through. It is important we do well.”
Zimbabwe internationals Tymcen Maruma, Shingirai Masakadza, Tendai Maruma, Tapiwa Mufudza and Richard Ngarava will be hungry to prove their quality as they seek to prolong their unbeaten run.
Uganda Select XI will be looking to shed some skin against Kenya XI at Lugogo Oval in the other fixture of the day.

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