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Uganda defied the odds to make it to the 2024 T20 World Cup, but they had a debut to forget as they were bowled out for just 58 runs against Afghanistan. The Brian Masaba-led side failed to even come close to the 184-run target set by the opposition and were outplayed across all departments.
Uganda won the toss and opted to bowl first, but could not introduce control into the innings. Afghanistan's opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, piled on 154 runs for the first wicket, making life difficult for the Uganda bowlers.
The debutants, however, ended the innings on a high with some excellent death bowling. Afghanistan collapsed from 154-0 in the 15th over to 183-5 at the end of the innings, not even coming close to the 200-run mark, which was deemed easily attainable at one stage.
Despite a strong finish with the ball, Uganda were totally outplayed in the second innings. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi struck with the new ball twice in the first over, and the batting side never really recovered from that early onslaught.
Uganda's innings included just five boundaries, with only a couple of players reaching double figures.
Fans were let down by Uganda in their first-ever World Cup contest. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
"20 team world cup is turning out to be a bad idea," one user wrote.
"How did Uganda qualify over Zimbabwe?" one tweet read.
"Who invited Uganda to the world cup," another tweet read.
"Special moment to hear our national anthem and see our flag at the World Cup" - Uganda skipper Brian Masaba
Despite the tame defeat, Uganda did pip the likes of Zimbabwe to make it to the tournament. The nation still have three matches left in the group stage to make an impression.
"Special moment to hear our national anthem and see our flag at the World Cup. It's a moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. They got a pretty good start. It was about fighting back and I thought we pulled it back pretty well at the end with the ball. Credit to them for playing well. One of the top bowling sides. Good seamers and quality spinners. We will look to bounce back better against PNG," Brian Masaba said during the post-match presentation.
Uganda are next scheduled to face Papua New Guinea on June 6 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
