Uganda made a winning start to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier campaign, defeating Zambia by 87 runs at the NCF Oval 1 in Abuja.

Gerald Olipa’s explosive 82 off 42 balls and Joseph Baguma’s four-wicket haul inspired the Cranes to a commanding victory in the tournament’s opening match on Wednesday.

Uganda, the highest-ranked team in the competition, elected to bat after winning the toss but suffered an early setback when Robinson Obuya was dismissed for one run.

The Zambian bowlers maintained their discipline during the powerplay, also removing Raghav Dhawan for 23 as Uganda reached 56 runs after six overs.

However, Olipa’s arrival transformed the innings. He launched an aggressive counter-attack, striking five fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 195.24 to score 82 runs from 42 deliveries.

Experienced batter Riazat Ali Shah provided valuable support with a quickfire 38 off 20 balls, including five fours and a six, as Uganda took control of the contest.

Although Joseph Zulu and Ismail Kara claimed two wickets apiece to slow the scoring towards the end, Uganda finished their allotted 20 overs on 195 for six.

Zambia’s response faltered as Uganda’s bowlers struck regularly to prevent the visitors from building meaningful partnerships.

Joyebbhai Vali Chand top-scored for Zambia with 38 off 28 balls, including two fours and three sixes, while Jakir Musa Patel contributed 23 from 23 deliveries.

Their efforts, however, proved insufficient as the rest of the batting line-up struggled against Uganda’s combination of pace and spin.

Baguma led the bowling attack with four wickets for 44 runs in four overs, while Juma Miyagi claimed three wickets for 17 runs in three overs.

Alpesh Ramjani also made an impact, taking two wickets for 13 runs in four overs as Zambia were bowled out for 108 in 17.3 overs.

Olipa was named Player of the Match for his match-defining innings, which helped Uganda secure an emphatic victory and open their qualifying campaign on a strong note.

The result underlined Uganda’s credentials as tournament favourites, while Zambia will need to improve their batting performance in their subsequent fixtures.