Uganda won the toss and opt to bowl
Uganda are in a team huddle after skittling out their opponents for just 77. Opting to bowl, Alpesh Ramjani trapped Assad Vala for a duck in the very first over. Disciplined bowling, rash shots, bad running meant that PNG never got any momentum in their innings. Just 4 fours and 1 six in the entire innings and only three batsmen got to double-digits with 15 being the top-scorer. Uganda bowled stump-to-stump and reaped the rewards. Will the target of 78 be a cakewalk for Uganda?
Frank Nsubuga (4-2-4-2): My first big tournament, first WC and to finish with figures of 2 for 4, I’m still pinching myself. The ball wasn’t coming on and I bowled on the slower side. We needed to bowl wicket-to-wicket, we have a better chance to win as we’re chasing 77. You just enjoy yourself, you never know what’s coming for you. I’m looking after the young boys, they’re looking after me, so it’s been good understanding within the team that’s helping us.
Historic moment for Uganda cricket – this is their first-ever win in T20 World Cup. This is also their first victory against PNG. The win was set up by their bowlers who bundled out their opponents for 77 – courtesy tight bowling. But the chase wasn’t straightforward by any means. On a slow pitch, they struggled against the PNG pacers losing four wickets in the powerplay. When Vala removed Nakrani, Uganda were tottering at 26/5 in the seventh over. That’s when Riazat Ali Shah and Juma Miyagi joined hand to stitch a crucial 35-run stand. They batted sensibly and risk-free cricket before a run-out separated them. Riazat top-scored with 33, got out with three needed to win but his knock turned out to be the difference. A spirited bowling display from PNG but they conceded 15 wides and dropped a couple of catches as well – too costly in a low-scoring encounter.
Joyous scenes in the Uganda camp. First, they thank their fans in the stands and then they form a circle to do a little jig. Incredible moment and a night none of them will ever forget.
Riazat Ali Shah | Player of the Match: It wasn’t the easy wicket to bat on, we had also lost wickets when I went in, the target was far away. The message (from the management) was the same, score singles and rotate strike. First win of the WC, it’s special, it’s really amazing, thanks to our bowlers, also our supporters who always support and pray for us. Despite losing the first match, we knew we had talent and we came here to win.
Lowest run-rates in a Men’s T20 WC match
4.13 – PNG vs UGA, Guyana, 2024
4.42 – SA vs SL, New York, 2024
4.89 – ENG vs WI, Dubai, 2021
5.09 – SL vs NED, Chattogram, 2014
5.13 – NZ vs SL, Chattogram, 2014
A low-scoring encounter on a slow pitch in Guyana. Uganda have put smiles on the faces of a lot of people with this historic win. Curtains down on this Group C encounter.
Brian Masaba | Uganda captain: Pretty special win for us, first win at the World Cup. Doesn’t get more special than this. Super proud of this group of guys, put in the work, to get a win for their country at the World Cup is very special. It’s been quite a journey, 3-4 years of very hard work both by the players and the board back home to make this happen. Getting to the World Cup was very special, this is even more special. Compared to last game, we got our plans right today. Execution was much better, it’s what we would have wanted in the first game, we got it right this time. The ability to adjust very quickly to the conditions and then execute the plans, super proud of the bowling display, they set up the win. (Plan for the pacers) Pretty simple – try and hit that hard length, wicket-to-wicket, we knew that the wicket was two-placed, kept a bit low sometimes and it worked in our favour. When you are three down early chasing a low score, we knew it’s going to be tough. Every run they scored in that partnership (Riazat-Miyagi) was special and important. Kudos to them for keep their heads down and doing the job for the team. We’ve got a pretty special group of fans. These guys have travelled halfway around the world to come and support us. I don’t think they came expecting to get a World Cup win, so it’s the least we can do for them. I hope they feel as special as we do. Back home, there’s huge following, they are following up till 3:30-4:30 in the morning to watch us play, it’s not easy. We salute them, we appreciate them. There’s a couple of guys from my old school who threatened my life if I didn’t send them regards live on TV (chuckles). To the fans, thank you very much. We appreciate you guys and keep bringing the support.
Assad Vala | Papua New Guinea captain: Difficult wicket to bat on. Not just for us, for them as well. We couldn’t add up as quickly as possible … runs around 100 was enough on that wicket, we couldn’t add up. We lost crucial wickets at crucial times and a lot of soft dismissals. (At the halfway stage) We spoke that it was a tough wicket to bat on and a touch wicket to start on. We learned from the lengths and lines they were bowling. We started really well and put them under pressure. When defending a really low score, you have to get those chances and also a lot of extras that we gave away. They batted really well as well. As the tournament goes on, we need to take chances, we need to be at our best. We need to adapt quickly as possible in different grounds we play on.