ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Uganda win first-ever T20 World Cup match, celebrate with a dance on sidelines

Uganda won their first-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup; they got the better of Papua New Guinea by three wickets in a low-scoring match at Providence.

Uganda did well with the ball to restrict Papua New Guinea to just 77 but had jitters when they were reduced to 26/5 but a resilient show by Riazat Ali Shah helped Uganda win the match.

Riazat top-scored with 33 runs and added 35 runs with Juma Miyagi (13) for the sixth wicket to pull his team out of the dumps.

Both teams, who are tournament debutants, had their chances to win the contest but it was Uganda who held on to their chances to win the game.

All the five Uganda bowlers picked up wickets to restrict PNG to a below-par total.

PNG could have sealed the deal in their favour when Charles Amini dropped Riazat, who just scored eight runs by then, when he grassed a simple chance.

Their bowlers weren’t disciplined either, bowling 15 wides, to effectively hand the match to Uganda. Uganda’s bowlers also conceded 13 extras, but eight of them were leg byes.

Although Riazat was dismissed with just three needed to win, he had helped his team to the cusp of history.

Uganda players celebrated their victory by dancing on the edge of the field. For the record, they beat Zimbabwe in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers to qualify for the marquee tournament.

Uganda captain Brian Masaba said the win is a special one. “That’s a pretty special win for us. You know, first win at the World Cup. It doesn’t get more special than this. I’m super proud of this group of guys. I mean, they’ve put in the work, they’ve put in such a shift. And to get a win for their country at the World Cup is very, very special,” he said after the match.

Uganda lost to Afghanistan by 125 runs in their tournament opener and will next meet the West Indies on June 9 and New Zealand on June 15 to finish their group stage engagements.