Uganda scripted history by registering their maiden victory in the T20 World Cup on Wednesday at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. They beat the Papua New Guinea side by three wickets in the ninth match of the 2024 T20 World Cup to achieve the memorable feat.
After being asked to bat first on a sluggish surface, PNG were bundled out cheaply for 77 in 19.1 overs. Hiri Hiri (19), Kiplin Doriga (12), and Lega Siaka (12) were the only batters to score in two digits for them in the batting department. Frank Nsubuga bowled a sensational spell of 4-2-4-2 with the ball.
In reply, Riazat Ali Shah played a sensible knock of 33 (56) to ensure that Uganda chased down the target successfully in tricky conditions. After hitting the winning runs in the 19th over, Uganda's players and the fans at the stadium celebrated joyfully, as it was their first victory in T20 World Cup history.
You can watch their celebrations in the posts below:
"Getting to the World Cup was special in itself, but this is even more special!" - Uganda captain Brian Masaba after win vs PNG in 2024 T20 World Cup
At the post-match presentation, an elated Uganda skipper Brian Masaba reflected on the special victory and said:
"Winning such a match, that too in a World Cup, is pretty special! Getting to the World Cup was special in itself, but this is even more special! We were able adjust to the conditions quickly, we bowled wicket to wicket and did not give any freebies, so that set up the win."
Shedding light on their thought process for tackling challenging batting conditions, Masaba continued:
"We knew that it was going to be tough for us having watched them bat on that wicket, but we stuck to the task, and never gave up!
On the support from their fans and the road ahead, he added:
"Our fans have been highly supportive, they have been by our side through thick and thin and all we can say to them is that we need more of it to give them more joy in the future!"
The east African team will next face West Indies at the same venue on Saturday (June 8) in their penultimate group fixture in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
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