Harare – September 25. The T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier starts tomorrrow in with Uganda set for a mouth-watering showdown against hosts Zimbabwe at the iconic Harare Sports Club.
Uganda (ranked 21) enter the tourney determined to prove that their maiden World Cup qualification in 2023 was no fluke. With seven survivors from that historic campaign, including skipper Riazat Ali Shah, the Cricket Cranes are bracing for a cauldron atmosphere against Zimbabwe (12), who have revenge on their minds after Uganda stunned them in Windhoek two years ago.
“We are a World Cup team, and we need to show it through our performances,” said Shah. “If we play hard cricket, we’ll give our travelling fans reason to celebrate.”
Head coach Abhay Sharma added: “This is now a tactical battle. We have to apply ourselves and take care of the processes – the results will take care of themselves.”
Zimbabwe, led by star all-rounder Sikandar Raza, are reinforced by seasoned campaigners Sean Williams and Brendan Taylor. Raza has demanded bravery. “We achieved a lot of positives against Sri Lanka and Namibia. Hopefully, we will have five perfect games in these qualifiers.”
Uganda’s bowling, spearheaded by Joseph Baguma and Henry Ssenyondo, will be key to stifling Zimbabwe’s top order, while Raghav Dhawan and Robinson Obuya carry the batting responsibility. There has been a late change in Uganda’s squad with Ronald Lutaaya replacing Shrideep Mangela.
Tomorrow’s Fixture – Group B
2:50pm: Uganda vs Zimbabwe – Harare Sports Club
Uganda’s other Group B matches:
Sept 28: Uganda vs Tanzania – Takashinga, 10:30am
Sept 30: Uganda vs Botswana – Takashinga, 10:30am
Probable Uganda XI:
Riazat Ali Shah (captain), Joseph Baguma, Dinesh Nakrani, Henry Ssenyondo, Alpesh Ramjani, Robinson Obuya, Raghav Dhawan, Juma Miyaji, Cosmas Kyewuta, Sumeet Verma, Cyrus Kakuru.
Super Sub: Frank Nsubuga.
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