Night experience for Cricket Cranes
Top order batsman Roger Batsman during practice. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Pumping Up The Volume. The 15-day tour of Sri Lanka is going to give the Cricket Cranes provisional squad a chance to train and possibly play under the lights after the team shifted camp from Galle to Colombo.
Uganda’s World Cup fixtures are going to be predominantly night affairs. But despite the Cricket Cranes undertaking several training and build up camps in Kampala, Jinja, India, Ghana and Galle, (twice), they were yet to train under the lights.
And since coach Abhay Sharma’s arrival last month, his one cry to the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) Board has been to secure some night training and matches for the team.
Sharma’s wishes will become the association’s will when the team gets a chance to train under the lights today and possibly play one of their two remaining matches in Sri Lanka.
The team shifted camp from Galle to Colombo over the weekend after picking up their first victory – an 8-run win - in a largely impressive display against a strong Sri Lanka Development side.
Consultant Craig Williams (R) is keen to pass on the right message. PHOTO/COURTESY
Squad announcement
Training under the lights will certainly pump up the morale in the provisional squad’s training camp a notch further with Daily Monitor learning that the final squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup squad scheduled for June 1-29 in the USA and West Indies could be announced by UCA on Monday.
“ICC has given the mandate of announcing squads to the respective boards via media and we will follow suit soon,” revealed UCA Hon. Secretary Jackson Kavuma. “Although the final squad will be announced later today with the travelling reserves we will have picked, the coaches and selectors have a right to change it before the final ICC deadline on May 24. The players will be urged to continue working hard in due time because anything can happen.”
The team has had a chance to work with a full technical team with assistant coach Jackson Ogwang and coach Sharma having his first sight with the team’s consultant Craig George Williams – a Namibian cricket legend.
The team is scheduled to play two strong outfits; the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Police, featuring several international players on Tuesday and on May 10 respectively.
Uganda’s Tour of Sri Lanka
Result - Game 3
Uganda XI 214/6 Sri Lanka Devt 206/9
Uganda XI won by 8 runs
Remaining Schedule
May 6: Rest/Practice
May 7: 5th T20: vs. Sri Lanka Army, Panagoda
May 8: Rest/Practice
May 9: Rest/Practice
May 10: 6th T20: vs. Sri Lanka Police, R. Premadasa
May 11: Return To Uganda
