Big wins for Kenya and Uganda on day 3
- Rakep Patel smashes 72 of 27 deliveries
- Mohammed Irfan rips through hosts with 5 for 12
- Wins for Kenya and Uganda tomorrow will see them progress to Africa Finals
In the opening match of the double-header, Kenya easily chased down the target of 119 set by Tanzania. It took the favourites just 8.3 overs to get the job done, as they blitzed their opposition.
Tanzania were restricted to just 118, bowled out with two balls to spare in their 20 overs. Yet again it was the nagging accuracy of Shem Ngoche that did the damage, as he helped himself to 3/23 in his spell of four overs. The only resistance from the Tanzanians came from Jatin Chandubhai, who made a belligerent 52 from 38 balls.
Kenya made sharp work of the chase, racing to the target inside half the overs. The destroyer-in-chief was Rakep Patel, who required just 27 balls to blast his 72, with eight sixes and five fours. That blew Tanzania out the park, as Kenya remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.
In the second match, Rwanda’s shortcomings were brought to searing light by Uganda, in another lopsided result. Uganda themselves racked up another big total, notching 204/4.
Dinesh Nakrani (74 from 44 balls) and Ronak Patel (65 from 47 balls) continued their fine form this week, and their stand of 135 took the match too far from the clutches of Rwanda.
The hosts were in big trouble early on as they lost six wickets for the addition of just one run, crashing from 22/3 to 23/9. It was a procession of wickets, with Mohammed Irfan snatching 5/12 in his four overs, while Riazat Ali Shah chipped in with 3/10 in three overs.
It continued a steep learning curve for the hosts, whose enthusiasm cannot be questioned, but their skill level has been shown up by their more experienced counterparts.
Highlights from Tanzania vs Kenya:
Highlights from Uganda vs Rwanda:
Scores in brief:
Tanzania 118 (J Chandubhai 52, S Ngoche 3/23)
Kenya 119/3 (Rakep Patel 72)
Kenya won by seven wickets
Uganda 204/4 (D Nakrani 74, Ronak Patel 65)
Rwanda 34 (M Irfan 5/12, R Shah 3/10)
Uganda won by 170 runs
Points Table:
Fixtures:
Wednesday 11 July:
9:30am: Tanzania v Uganda
1:50pm: Kenya v Rwanda
(Thursday 12 July: Reserve day)
Friday 13 July:
9:30am: Kenya v Tanzania
1:50pm: Rwanda v Uganda
Saturday 14 July:
9:30am: Tanzania vs Rwanda
1:50pm: Uganda vs Kenya