BY ALVIN BAGAYA

TEAM UGANDA - TOURNAMENT ITINERARY

Thursday, July 5: Teams & Officials Arrive

Friday, July 6: Captains Photo Shoot & Opening Ceremony

Saturday, July 7: Kenya vs. Uganda, 10.30am

Sunday, July 8: Uganda vs. Tanzania, 10.30am

Monday, July 9: Rest/Reserve Day

Tuesday, July 10: Uganda vs. Rwanda, 2.50pm

Wednesday, July 11: Tanzania vs. Uganda, 10.30am

Thursday, July 12: Rest/Reserve Day

Friday, July 13: Rwanda vs. Uganda, 2.50pm

Saturday, July 14: Uganda vs. Kenya, 2.50pm

Sunday, July 15: Departure of Teams

Uganda flew out of Entebbe International Airport headed for the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Africa Qualifier to be held at the picturesque Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Gahanga on Thursday 5th July 2018; the tournament played as part of 2020 ICC World Twenty20 Qualification

Twelve regional qualifiers are being held by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with 62 teams competing during 2018 in five regions – Africa (3 groups), Americas (2), Asia (2), East Asia Pacific (2) and Europe (3).

The top 25 sides from these will then contest five regional finals in 2019, with eight teams then going on to compete in the 2020 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, along with the six lowest ranked sides from the ICC T20I Championship.

Blazing Batsmen

For the first time in a long while Uganda goes into a tournament with most if not all of their batsmen in fine form, holding form will however be key. Twenty20 as a game is the arena for run machines. The nature of wickets at Gahanga notwithstanding, it is likely only those with a deeper armoury of batsmen that will pull through.

Uganda’s Team to the qualifier is power-packed with; Roger Mukasa (captain), Brian Masaba (vice-captain), Hamu Kayondo, Dinesh Nakrani, Deus Muhumuza, Riazat Shah, Irfan Afridi, Henry Ssenyondo, Frank Nsubuga, Kenneth Waiswa, Fred Achelam, Charles Waiswa, Bilal Hassun & Ronak Patel

Uganda’s confidence going into the qualifiers in Kigali is the form displayed by their top guns in the lead up to the tournament;

Special Captain

Roger Mukasa [64(46) vs Kutchi Tigers CC, 37(30) vs Ceylon Lions, 91(65) Vs Premier CC, 85(36) Vs Yuva XI, 124 (58) Vs Avengers XI].

Hardworking Hamu

Hamu Bagenda Kayondo [181 (131) Vs Tornado Bees CC]

 Risky-free Rizu

Riazat Ali Shah [108(105) Vs K.I.C.C, 80(64) Vs Ceylon Lions CC, 54(30) Vs Keshwala XI, 62(26) Vs Sunrise Strikers, 169 (58) Vs Telugu Warriors

Dashing Dinu 

Dinesh Nakrani: [47(41) Vs Tornado Bees C.C, 77(95) Vs Strikers CC, 59(30) Vs Graphic Group]

Holding form will be key, and the back up from the athletic fielding that has been Uganda Cricket Team’s flagship brand in tournaments will be just the ingredients needed for the qualifiers.

For those close to the team and followed their progress from the arrival of Steve Tikolo, they have steadily morphed into a meticulous, structured and well regulated outfit. Those that couldn’t raise their discipline and application off the field to the required standards dropped off, those willing to dig deep and find that extra effort to apply their basics but also work within is proper team ethic have found Tikolo’s regimen rewarding.

“It is about processes. We have to let them work. The guys know what is required of them at all times,” Tikolo often says.

He works with uncompromising systems in place, systems geared at keeping players from dropping below what their potential should help the achieve at the world stage in cricket, as well as life outside the game. 

Talismanic Tikolo

Tikolo has no days off. Whether in work or social life and has tried to infuse this way-of-life into his troops, keep working at it until the final ball of the innings or match; he once got off a South Gujarati Chikhli-Mumbai-Doha-Entebbe trip with a five-hour layover in Doha to cover another 503km (313 miles) by bus without a break to see his family in Nairobi.

His level of commitment and focus has transformed most if not all on the team into the kind of cut and dried combatants he likes to work with to produce results.

All the players are fit and raring to go. We have been working on the one and half months working on Twenty20 skills. If you have been following the national team trial games and how guys have been performing in the league, then you have noticed some very good exceptional performances. Hopefully we can translate that into the tournament.” Tikolo maintains.

Coming of Age

In effect, most of his players now display the bravery and ability characterised by his playing days. Riazat Shah, who joined the squad as a wiry 19-year-old unsure of his abilities is now scoring hundreds for fun. Now a destructive middle order batsman to join in with Kenneth Waiswa, Fred Achelam, Mohammed Irfan Sahibzada Afridi and Dinesh Nakrani.

Roger Mukasa stepped into some big shoes after the World Cricket League Division III debacle, with a tough Tour of Qatar and India on his Curriculum Vitae, and he proceeded to win the WCL IV Championship in Malaysia bouncing back from an opening day loss to the hosts.

Mukasa leads the top order with in-form opener Hamu Kayondo Bagenda coming off a blistering 181 (131) in the Jazz Safari National League and looking to display his cataclysmic approach to Twenty20 cricket that has quickly made him the bane of every league bowler’s existence.

 Home Away From Home

The opposition will mainly meet the flamboyance and affable ways of the new look Cricket Cranes off the field, but the ruthless and methodical destruction of teams that lies beneath their ebullient and jocular character on the field is what has brought them out of the doldrums of relegation to the Division IV and onwards to the Championship to fight again in WCL Division III.

Most Ugandans finally have a chance to watch their team play considering the distance to Kigali, while most think Kenya is the biggest rival, Tikolo and his squad know in their work ethic that anyone who puts on his kit and shows up for the toss is a worthy rival, it will be business and destruction from ball one.

Let the Games Begin!

 

 

 

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scoreboard

  • Results

  • Tables

  • Fixtures

National Team Trial Game

Tuesday, 11th May 2021 

UGANDA XI V UGANDA A

National Team Trial Game 

Sunday, 9th May 2021

UGANDA XI V UGANDA A

National Team Trial Game 

Thursday, 6th May 2021 

UGANDA XI V UGANDA A 

National Team Trial Game

Tuesday, 4th May 2021.

UGANDA XI vs UGANDA A

Men's National League

DIV I, Sunday, 22nd September 2019.

KUTCHI TIGERS vs CHALLENGERS | Ebb

Jazz Safari Men's League

DIV I, Sunday, 26th August 2018.

KUTCHI TIGERS vs CHALLENGERS | Ebb

 

 

See More on LIVESCORE

Mens' National League 2019

Div I

Table | Batting | Bowling | Fielding

Jazz Safari Men Nat. League 2018

Div I

Table | Batting | Bowling | Fielding | Wkt Keeping

Div II

Table | Batting | Bowling | Fielding | Wkt Keeping

Div III

Table | Batting | Bowling | Fielding | Wkt Keeping

See More on: LIVESCORE

Women's National League

Saturday 27th July 2019

10:30am | Soroti Challengers Vs Aziz Damani | Lugogo Oval

10:30am | Olila CC Vs KICC | Entebbe Oval

11:00am | JACC Vs Premier | Jinja SSS CC

Men's National League

Date: 28th July 2019

10:30am | Tornado CC Vs Tornado Bee | Lugogo Oval

10:30am | Challengers Vs Aziz Damani CC | Entebbe Oval

10:30am | Jinja SSS Vs Premier | Jinja Oval

See More on: LIVESCORE