- Warm-Up Game: Uganda v Hong Kong China
- RESULT: Uganda 213 all out beat Hong Kong China 100 all out by 113 runs
Hong Kong China gave Uganda’s Cricket Cranes a proper test in their second warm-up game ahead of the ICC Challenge League B tournament.
Riazat Ali Shah won the toss and elected to bat first, with three changes from the team that played against Tanzania: Cyrus Kakuru, Raghav Dhawan, and Juma Miyaji made way for Fred Achellam, Dinesh Nakrani, and Gerald Olipa.
Simon Ssesazi and Gerald Olipa only managed 41 for the first wicket, but a poor passage of play had the Cricket Cranes reduced to 74/4 inside 15 overs.
Hong Kong China deployed a slow-bowling option plan that made run scoring very difficult. The rescue act came from Alpesh Ramjani (56), who batted well with the tail and Sumeet Verma (58), who held the top together till he got run out.
The worry for Steve Tikolo in that inning would be the many single-digit scorers, but he will be pleased that despite being on the ropes for most of the game, his side managed to soak up the pressure till the 49th over.
In the run chase, Joseph Baguma picked up a fiver that turned the game in favour of the Cricket Cranes. He finished with bowling figures of 5/23 in 8 overs, with the support coming from Henry Ssenyondo 2/15 as Hong Kong China was bundled out for 110 inside 32 overs.
Cricket Cranes had an off day with the bat but showed steel in their bowling to make sure their slow bowlers can match what the Hong Kong China bowlers did in the first innings.
The entire Cricket Cranes squad has been given a run out in the two warm-up games, and Steve Tikolo will have to make some tough calls for his starting XI on Saturday.
Raghav Dhawan is touch-and-go for the first game against Tanzania on Saturday, but the rest of the squad has a clean bill of health.