Nsubuga steers Uganda to victory

Uganda 241 for 8 (Nsubuga 55, Ochan 56*) beat Argentina 150 (Nsubuga 4-27) by 91 runs
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Uganda celebrate their victory © ICC

As expected, Uganda won the World Cricket League Division Three final, beating Argentina by 91 runs in Darwin. But Argentina, who only qualified for the tournament after USA were expelled last month, came close to pulling off what would have been a remarkable upset.

At one stage Uganda, the hot favourites, had slumped to 79 for 7, after being asked to bat, with Argentina captain Esteban MacDermott, who was later adjudged player of the tournament, taking three wickets. However Frank Nsubuga, who made 55 from 38 balls, and Laurence Sematimba added a vital 80 for the eight wicket. Sematimba and Patrick Ochan, 56 from 34 balls, then posted 82 for the ninth wicket as Uganda reached 241 for 8. Nsubuga outstanding all-round day continued, taking 4 for 27 as Argentina were bowled out for 150 in the 47th over.

Argentina had made a steady start to its run chase and reached 53 for 1 before losing three wickets for six runs. Donald Forrester (38) and wicketkeeper Alejandro Ferguson (41) then led a fightback by sharing an 81-run stand for the fifth wicket to take the them to 140 for 4. However, with the required run-rate climbing, the batting fell away as man-of-the-match Nsubuga completed his memorable day.

Uganda captain Joel Olweny said it has been a great week for his team but he was quick to set the players new targets. "No doubt it has been a dream tournament for us. We came here aiming to qualify for Division Two and are now returning with the title."

"But as this tournament finishes, the quest for the next begins and the target now is to finish in the top four in Namibia in November and qualify for World Cup qualifiers [in UAE in 2009]."

Olweny had special praise for his two allrounders: "Undoubtedly, Nsubuga and Ochan are our heroes," he said. "Their contributions were crucial but what was important was the way they batted. Once we had 200 runs on the board, we knew we had the match because we are a better bowling and fielding side."

MacDermott, Argentina's captain, said he was disappointed but still proud of his team. "I know we could have done better. We had our moments but since we are a new side we couldn't pounce on the opportunities that were provided to us," he said. "This match has been a huge learning game for us and will surely help us prepare better next time.

"Nevertheless, I am proud of my boys. No one gave us a chance when we arrived here but these boys turned everything around and now people are talking about us. Cricket is developing in Argentina and I am optimistic that, in the near future, there will be some more quality cricketers representing the country."

Papua New Guinea 263 for 6 (Mahuru Dai 102 not out) beat Cayman Islands 240 for 9 by 23 runs
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Hong Kong 242 for 6 (Rahul Sharma 85) beat Tanzania 113 by 129 runs
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Italy 124 for 4 (Thusahara Kurukulasuriya 51) beat Fiji 123 by six wickets
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The final positions are;

1. Uganda 2. Argentina 3. PNG 4. Cayman Islands 5. Hong Kong 6. Tanzania 7. Italy 8. Fiji