By Innocent Ndawula & Darren Allan Kyeyune 

Sunday, February 2  2014

National team players Ochimi and Otim vanished before Team Uganda returned. Photo by E. Chicco

IN SUMMARY

Richard Okia was left in Dubai - having missed the flight as he went to do some last-minute Duty Free shopping

Kampala- Every fear was justified. The mood was somber on the hot Friday afternoon as Uganda returned from the woeful 30-day outing where the Cricket Cranes finished last at the ICC World Cup Qualifier event in New Zealand.

As the justifiably weary players and the team management disembarked from the Mini Bus at Lugogo after a 30-hour flight, they wore faces which painted a picture of false smiles.

It was understandable as they were guilty of mounting neither no challenge nor any resistance while in Tauranga. Three players were missing on the returning contingent thus leaving the image of the game tainted further.

Whereas it is understandable that towering all-round batsman Richard Okia was left in Dubai - having missed the flight as he went to do some last-minute shopping at the Emirates Wing Duty Free - Sunday Monitor has learnt and can confirm that leg-spinner Raymond Otim and youngster Faruk Ochimi have decided to seek greener pastures in the Bay of Plenty.

Okia’s new scheduled arrival was yesterday evening after the team management reached an agreement with both the airline and player.

But Sunday Monitor further confirms that Ochimi and Otim sought asylum in Whakatane where the national team was hosted for two warm-up matches during a 10-day acclimatisation tour.

To dig deeper, the paper reveals that Ochimi and Otim didn’t return home because they had been darlings to the elderly community of Whakatane, who offered to look after them as long as possible.

“Otim and Ochimi were finalising their paper work and chasing deals with some local franchises in New Zealand ahead of the new season,” Uganda Cricket Association CEO Justine Ligyalingi, also head of the delegation, said.
But team manager Andrew Othieno said otherwise. “Right now, we (UCA) are not worried about the duo since we left their passports at the immigration offices. We will only worry after February 7 (the date the players’ Visas expire).”

By the time the team checked out of the Trinity Whalf Hotel at midday on Thursday, Ochimi and Otim were nowhere to be seen and in order to catch flight, the group took a three-hour ride to Auckland Airport without the Naguru-bred pair.

It is no surprise to the fraternity that 18-year-old Ochimi stayed back since he had vowed never to return home after he was named on the New Zealand-bound side in December.

For 27-year-old Otim, who is largely remembered for taking England captain Alaistar Cook’s catch at the 2004 ICC U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, he was uncertain of the future owing to the fact that he’s been coach Johan Rudolph’s favourite, whose seven-month contract with UCA is unlikely to be renewed.

Player profiles of the two who did not return to Kampala 
Full name: Faruk Ochimi
Nickname: Chimzy, Nigga
Born: December 19, 1995, Naguru, Kampala
Current age: 18 years 45 days
Major teams: Uganda, Nile Knights,U-19s
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Full name: Raymond Otim
Nickname: Bresnan
Born: October 21, 1986, Kampala, Uganda
Current age: 27 years 102 days
Major teams: Uganda Under-19s
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Legbreak

The top Ugandan players at the ICC WC Qualifiers
Best Batsmen
Abram Mutyagaba - 130 runs in six innings
Roger Mukasa – 95 runs in four innings
Philemon Mukobe – 92 runs in six innings
Best Bowlers
Charles Waiswa – 10 wickets
Patrick Ochan – 6 wickets
Davis Karashani, Faruk Ochimi – 4 wickets
Best scores
Batting – Abram Mutyagaba (61 runs off 93 balls against Kenya)
Bowling – Charles Waiswa (4/30 against Namibia)