The Cricket Cranes, Uganda men’s national cricket team are hopeful of victory in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup (CWC) Challenge League B tournament that bowls off today, Friday, 17th June at the Lugogo Cricket Oval in Kampala.
The tournament will run up to 27th June and games will be played at Lugogo and Kyambogo oval.
Hosts Uganda will bowl off proceedings on Friday when they come up against Jersey in front of the home crowd. They will play their final game against Kenya on June 26 at the same venue.
Cricket Cranes put in good sessions during the build up to the event and team Captain Brian Masaba is upbeat that they’ll make the nation proud in the opening match and throughout the tournament.
“We shall work hard in order to make our nation proud. I believe in the boys and we hope to win all our games,” Masaba said during a recent interview with NTV Sport Knights show.
Masaba adds that they have some objectives they intend to achieve in this tournament, something which will drive the side to perform well.
“Our goal right now is to try to get into the top 20 teams inorder to attain ODI status. The results we attained a couple of months ago have brought us closer (to ODI status). As a team we believe we aren’t far away, if we stick to what brought us success so far I believe we shall attain our objective,” Masaba added.
The tournament is a pathway to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India but most importantly a voyage that could end with Uganda securing the much-vaunted One-Day International (ODI) status.
All Uganda has to do is stay at the helm of the standings at the end of this second leg in Kampala and third leg scheduled for Jersey in September.
And so far, so good as Team Uganda, who boast of a new sponsor in Kansai Plascon, is seated atop the log with 10 points – three more than second-placed Hong Kong – from the first leg held in Oman 2019
Team Uganda For ICC CWC Challenge League B;
Emmanuel Hasahya, Simon Ssesazi, Ronak Patel, Brian Masaba (captain) Deus Muhumuza (vice captain), Riazat Ali Shah, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Frank Nsubuga, Juma Miyaji, Cosmas Kyewuta, Henry Ssenyondo, Kenneth Waiswa and Frank Akankwasa
Team Reserves: Arnold Otwani & Bilal Hassun
