Uganda Skipper Brian Masaba Gets Emotional After Winning Maiden T20 World Cup Victory Over PNG

Guyana: Emotional Uganda captain Brian Masaba said their memorable victory over Papua New Guinea on Thursday was a ‘special win’ in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup and he paid tribute to a ‘special’ group of travelling fans.

Just in their second match of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Uganda overcame a few hiccups in their run chase to pick up their first victory at the tournament.

Nsubuga collected figures of 2/4 to help bowl out Papua New Guinea for just 77 at the Guyana National Stadium and the African nation held their nerve to chase down that total with 10 deliveries remaining.

Masaba also emphasised the large number of travelling fans who cheered for the squad during the game. The Uganda captain stated that the fans did not come to the World Cup expecting to win, but it was a unique feeling to make them proud.

“We’ve got a pretty special group of fans. These guys have travelled halfway around the world to come and support us. I don’t think they came expecting to get a World Cup win, so it’s the least we can do for them. I hope they feel as special as we do. Back home, there’s huge following, they are following up till 3:30-4:30 in the morning to watch us play, it’s not easy. We salute them, we appreciate them,” Masaba said in a post-match presentation.

The captain also issued a message to the travelling fans who created an amazing atmosphere in Guyana on Thursday.
“There’s a couple of guys from my old school who threatened my life if I didn’t send them regards live on TV (chuckles). To the fans, thank you very much. We appreciate you guys and keep bringing the support,” he added.

“Pretty special win for us, first win at the World Cup. Doesn’t get more special than this. Super proud of this group of guys, put in the work, to get a win for their country at the World Cup is very special. It’s been quite a journey, 3-4 years of very hard work both by the players and the board back home to make this happen. Getting to the World Cup was very special, this is even more special,” the Uganda captain stated.

Afghanistan defeated Uganda by 125 runs in their first match of the global event earlier in the week.
“Compared to last game, we got our plans right today. Execution was much better, it’s what we would have wanted in the first game, we got it right this time. The ability to adjust very quickly to the conditions and then execute the plans, super proud of the bowling display, they set up the win,” he added.

Nsubuga was one of four Uganda bowlers to collect a pair of wickets, with Alphesh Ramjani (2/17), Cosmas Kyewuta (2/17) and Juma Miyaga (2/10) also getting in on the act as Papua New Guinea were dismissed in the final over of their innings.

“Pretty simple – try and hit that hard length, wicket-to-wicket, we knew that the wicket was two-placed, kept a bit low sometimes and it worked in our favour. When you are three down early chasing a low score, we knew it’s going to be tough. Every run they scored in that partnership (Riazat-Miyagi) was special and important. Kudos to them for keeping their heads down and doing the job for the team,” he added.

Uganda will next face two-time champions West Indies on June 8 at the Providence Stadium.