After Zimbabwe’s loss to Uganda, their T20 WC qualification was derailed.
Zimbabwe’s chances of qualifying for the T20 World Cup in 2019 are slim to none after Uganda defeated Zimbabwe by an astonishing five wickets in Namibia during the African Region Qualifier. With three games remaining, Zimbabwe, who suffered a loss to the hosts earlier this week, occupy the fifth position in the points table. The top two-finishing teams (out of seven) advance to the USA and West Indies for a 20-team tournament.
With 48 from 39, Sikandar Raza hauled Zimbabwe down to 136/7. But the batting around him collapsed, especially when faced with Dinesh Nakrani’s left-arm pace (final figures: 3 for 14). Henry Ssenyondo, a left-arm spinner, was also very effective, taking two wickets in three overs.
In the fourth over, Uganda was down to 12 for 2, but Alpesh Ramjani and Roger Mukasa struck a crucial 49-run stand to turn the chase around. Ramjani hit four fours and two sixes en route to a 40 off of 26 balls, showing off his particularly vicious side against the Zimbabwean bowlers. In the eleventh over, Zimbabwe brought an end to his explosive innings, but Riazat Ali Shah came in to bat at a similar pace. His 28-ball 42 included one six, five fours, and one three.
Uganda needed to score thirty runs in the final three overs to win the chase. In the eighteenth over, Nakrani and Ali Shah targeted Tendai Chatara, hitting him for twenty runs. In the penultimate over, Richard Ngarava got rid of Ali Shah, but it was too little, too late, as Uganda finished the chase with five balls remaining. The final three games Zimbabwe has scheduled are against Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda.
Brief Scores: Uganda 138/5 in 19.1 overs (Riazat Ali Shah 42, Alpesh Ramjani 40, Richard Ngarava 2-24) defeated Zimbabwe 136/7 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 48; Dinesh Nakrani 3-14, Henry Ssenyondo 2-25) by 5 wickets.
kenya and namibia come to front of points table in africa region
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