The West Indies are all set to face Uganda in their second group-stage match of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Windies are on a streak of wins and will be looking to extend it. They looked wobbly in their opening fixture against Papua New Guinea (PNG) but eventually got home courtesy of Roston Chase’s cameo in the run chase.
As for Uganda, this will be their third T20I against a full-member side. For them, it is not just about winning, but being here, and able to participate is a moment of celebration for them. With extremely limited resources back home, the players have learned to fight. They suffered a thrashing against Afghanistan in their opening match. However, they bounced back emphatically and defeated PNG in a low-scoring thriller.
Going into this game, the biggest worry for Uganda will be their batting strength after they were bowled out for just 58 against Afghanistan and were seven down chasing 78 against PNG. Tackling the bowling attack of the West Indies would be a tough task.
Apart from Andre Russel, the Windies will be banking on Roston Chase to turn up on the occasion once more. Chase has been in a terrafic run of form since his return to the side. The allrounder has scored 37, 32*, 67* 42*, and has bowled with an economy of under six in the four T20Is played this year.
For Uganda, Riazat Ali Shah has been one of the most promising talents. He was also the one to pull Uganda out of trouble after a batting collapse against PNG when he scored a cautious 33 of 56 to guide his team to a memorable victory.
West Indies are likely to stick with the same playing XI they fielded against PNG. Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and batter Shimron Hetmyer were unable to secure a spot in the team as the Windies continued to rely on Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford. Nicholas Pooran will also be eyeing a personal milestone as the wicketkeeper-batter is just 25 runs away from becoming West Indies’ all-time highest run-getter in T20 Internationals.
Uganda tinkered with their playing XI for the second game against PNG replacing opener Ronak Patel, spinner Henry Ssenyondo, and medium pacer Bilal Hassan with two fast-bowling options in Juma Miyagi and Kenneth Waiswa along with spinning allrounder Nsubuga. Both Miyagi and Nsubuga were significant in their victory against PNG and are likely to be retained for the upcoming fixture. Alpesh Ramjani, who has been brilliant for Uganda, will also be in the spotlight. He has 13 wickets in six T20Is this year with an economy of just 4.3
Another day, another slow and sluggish surface on the cards. The pitch in Providence might not be easy for the batters once more. The rain, however, is forecasted to stay away during the match with occasional cloud cover and temperature around 23 degrees in the evening.
