Uganda loses to Qatar by five wickets

Quadrangular Series

Results

Saudi Arabia 240/10 Uganda 203/10

(Saudi Arabia win 37 runs)

Uganda 265/10 Qatar 266/5

(Qatar win by five wickets)

There were positives from Uganda's second engagement at the on-going Quadrangular Series in Kenya but still no victory.

Uganda lost by five wickets to Qatar after setting a respectable 265 that marked a clear improvement from Monday's opening-day loss to Saudi Arabia, in which Davis Karashani's men were all out for 203 inside 46 overs.

Zephania Arinaitwe celebrated his senior debut with 46 off 49, a respectable return for a youngster who opened alongside Arthur Kyobe.

Give Tikolo credit for giving Arinaitwe a chance where many coaches wouldn't. Arinaitwe's record double ton in the Schools Cricket week caught Tikolo's attention and the coach took it a step higher and included the teenager in his 17-man team.

If Arinaitwe's good start is a sign of things to come, the Cranes will be thankful for this series for years to come.

Roger Mukasa and Kyobe also enjoyed improved batting performances against Qatar, scoring 75 and 71 runs respectively, while skipper Davis Karashani contributed 23 as the Cranes raced to a total that is decent but no longer safe in one day cricket.

The rise of T20 has raised the overall standard of batting in the game and the Cranes must immediately lift their batting aspirations to par scores of 270 or 280 if they are to progress on the international stage.

This truth was drummed home by Qatar's cool dismissal of Uganda, getting to 266/5 in 47.1 overs when the Cranes kept on hoping for a collapse. Or consider the scores of the game between Kenya and Saudi Arabia, which happened concurrently.

Kenya scored 305 but had to to defend it, eventually winning by 16 runs.

Debutant Irfan Afridi claimed 3/47 to lead all Ugandan bowlers.

Next up for Uganda, Kenya - opponents who have enjoyed a long winning run against the Cranes and will be massive favourites to keep up the status quo.