By Denis Musali
Uganda Cricket has announced Brian Masaba as the new captain of the Cricket Cranes on a permanent basis. Brian replaces Roger Mukasa who was relieved of the duty early this year. Masaba has served as vice-captain under Roger Mukasa for the past two years which experience will be very valuable for him in his new role.
Brian Masaba's first assignment is going to be the build-up tour to Zimbabwe during which the team will play five games (4 ODIs and 1 T20) against select sides carefully selected by the host Takashinga Cricket Club.
Brian Masaba takes over the captaincy at a time when the team is in transition in terms of personnel and results. The Cricket Cranes missed out on qualification to the Global T20 qualifiers in UAE early this year after finishing a disappointing fourth. Brian has his work cut especially when it comes to building a winning culture and most importantly winning back the trust of the fans.
The Cricket Cranes are preparing for the first round of the CWC World Challenge League B tournament scheduled to take place from Nov 30th to Dec 13th in Oman. The technical bench will use this tour to fine-tune the grey areas before the final 14 for Oman is selected.
Batsman Shahzad Ukani will be part of the tour after missing out on previous editions due to a tight work schedule. Youngster Richard Agamire has been given a chance to shine on his first full debut with the senior side.
The technical team includes head coach Steve Tikolo, assistant coach Jackson Ogwang, team physio Habiba Klusum and Team Manager Jackson Kavuma.
The team will fly out of the country on Sunday night Nov 3rd and will return on 10th Nov.