Cricket Cranes beat Botswana by five wickets at Gahanga Cricket Stadium Oval B in Kigali on Wednesday to make it two wins from two at the ILT20 Continental Cup 2025.
Uganda chased down 102 in just 9.3 overs after Joseph Baguma and Juma Miyagi ripped through the Zebras for 101 for 7.
Off-spinner Baguma claimed three for 14 while opening bowler Miyagi returned two for nine as the defending champions strangled Botswana's batting.
Valentine Mbazo top-scored with 31 for Botswana before Robinson Obuya exploded for an unbeaten 51 off 28 balls to seal the chase.
Obuya smashed six fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 182.14 while Gerald Olipa added a brutal 24 off ten deliveries.
Captain Riazat Ali Shah rotated his attack wisely and handed Enock Kasaija a T20I debut as Steve Tikolo builds depth for the Africa qualifier.
The argument doing the rounds in Kampala is whether Obuya's explosive starts make him undroppable for the Nigeria trip or if the top order remains too reliant on cameos.
Uganda now sit top of the five-team table with four points and face their next assignment at the weekend.
Match summary
- Botswana: 101/7 (20 overs) — Mbazo 31, Balakrishnan 16, Silas 14, Tshose 10
- Uganda: 105/5 (9.3 overs) — Obuya 51* (28), Olipa 24 (10), Musemeza 15 (11)
- Bowling: Baguma 3/14, Miyagi 2/9, Musinguzi 1/17, Ali Shah 1/18
- Result: Uganda won by 5 wickets
- Points: Uganda 4, Botswana 0
Source: Uganda Cricket
