Rudolph promises to ring changes for New Zealand
Rudolph briefs his players
KAMPALA-“There will definitely be changes,” confirmed coach Johan Rudolph when SCORE squared him for a post-mortem of the just concluded forgettable World Twenty20 Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and way forward on the upcoming 50-over World Cup Qualifiers in New Zealand next month.
“There will be four or five changes. I have to bring back some of the old guys. We have to blame the batsmen for poor show in UAE. The top six batsmen take the blame. Only Bobby (Richard Okia) showed maturity and I don’t know what happened to the rest of the guys.”
Uganda averaged 105 runs from nine games including the warm-ups which was way below the average of 140 set by other teams. “We knew that if we set 130 or 140, we could beat any team because our bowling has always been good,” explains Rudolph. “But our batsmen never came to the party. It is unfortunate but we will have to do some chopping and changing.”
Rudolph is well aware that the upcoming challenge in New Zealand will determine the future of Uganda cricket for the next six years.
“I know what is at stake,” he says. “If the team doesn’t play well, I will also have no job after February. We must select a good team that will deliver. But it is also very important that we remain positive as stakeholders.”
