Cricket Cranes Captain Brian Masaba is back to the team after recovering from a broken finger that he suffered during the T20 World Cup Qualifiers which also kept him out of the Jersey trip.
The Cricket Cranes head to South Africa to take part in the 1st edition of the Africa Cup from September 15th-21st in Benoni, South Africa. The Africa Cup was initially scheduled to be in Nairobi in 2020 but the global pandemic put a halt on the tournament.
The team was flagged off on Monday at Lugogo Sports Complex and Masaba who delights in returning to the squad hopes that the South Africa meet will shape up the squad for future outings.
“It’s yet another good opportunity to represent our nation and I promise we will give it our all,” Masaba said adding that; “this tournament will help test the team ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.”
The tournament in South Africa will have eight nations put into two groups. Uganda is alongside Botswana, Ghana, and Mozambique in Group A. The top two sides in each group will move into the semi-finals before the final. Group B has Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Cameron.
The team has four players making their senior debut, Pascal Murungi, his assistant Munir Ismail and Joseph Baguma who was part of the U-19 team that took part in the World Cup in West Indies have been added to the side. Alpesh Ramjani who has been knocking on the national team has also been slotted into the side.
“I’m happy for the debutants and I believe they will do well because they have played at bigger stages before. It will also prepare them for the future as the team transitions,” Masaba said.
The Africa Cup will be played in the T20 format and all the matches will have T20I status therefore Uganda has an opportunity to pick some valuable ranking points.
The Team:
Brian Masaba (Captain), 2. Deus Muhumuza, 3. Frank Nsubuga, 4. Kenneth Waiswa, 5. Cosmas Kyewuta, 6. Juma Miyagi, 7. Alpesh Ramjani, 8. Joseph Baguma, 9. Pascal Murungi, 10. Munir Ismail, 11. Fred Achellam, 12. Henry Ssenyondo 13. Riazat Ali Shah, 14. Simon Sessazi
Team Officials:
Laurence Mahatlane – Head Coach, 2. Jackson Ogwang – Assistant Coach, 3. Shamim Nassali – Physiotherapist, 4. Steven Tusiime – Analyst 5. Jackson Kavuma – Team Manager.
