Uganda relegated despite consolation win against Nigeria at U-19 World Cup Qualifiers

U-19 World Cup Qualifiers | Uganda U-19 vs. Nigeria U-19

• Uganda 84 all out
• Nigeria 69 all out
• Uganda won by 15 runs

The Baby Cricket Cranes ended their U19 World Cup Qualifiers campaign with a consolation win against hosts Nigeria in a very low-quality game.

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat, but their batting woes continued to haunt them. They were bundled out for just 84 runs inside 38 overs, with Captain Gerald Olipa (24) the standout with the bat.

Uganda lost wickets in key moments to leave them in trouble for most of the game and failed to mount a challenge with the bat.

In the second innings, Nigeria didn’t do any better in the chase. Rahmon Ali (40) at the top of the order was the only batter to get into double figures with the rest of the batting lineup collapsing under the weight of Uganda’s spin attack.

Ali Balidawa (3/18) picked up the Player of the Match award with support from Abdul Aziz Tandia (2/16) and Gurjivan Singh (2/15) .

Uganda never looked like they would defend the total until they started to get some inroads into the Nigerian batting to raise their levels and eventually close out their second win of the tournament.

The win for Uganda was just a placement game with Uganda, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone dropping down to the second division while Tanzania, Namibia, and Kenya maintained their Division One status.

Tanzania was able to secure the coveted spot in the World Cup after winning the tournament unbeaten, completing a fairytale run from Division Two all the way to the World Cup to secure a maiden World Cup appearance.

The junior global showpiece will be hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year.

The tournament has left Uganda to do some soul searching when they return home, with the spotlight on the Development Program that produces these age group cricketers.

Uganda should use this opportunity to groom a team that can push for the 2030 U-19 World Cup and will have to put together a new generation to start the qualification next year.

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