Knights, Warriors set for finals

After the double postponement of the inaugural T20 East Africa Premier League and 50-over East African Cup finals last December due to torrential rain, Nairobi is finally ready for the grand finale this weekend.

The weather forecast is anticipated to fluctuate between 13-30 degrees Celsius. And rather than beseech the weather gods’ intervention, the finalists; Rwenzori Warriors, Nile Knights and Kongonis, will for once concentrate on putting their best feet forward.

First up in the fray this afternoon will be the Ugandan franchises Knights and Warriors battling it out for bragging rights as the regional Twenty20 champions on a neutral venue at the picturesque Nairobi Gymkhana Oval.
“It is a whole new challenge,” remarked Knights coach Martin Suji, who will be without Frank Nsubuga, who is in South Africa for a semi-professional stint with Johannesburg-based Lenasia Cricket Club.

Although Suji cannot afford the cost of flying in his most experienced bowler for the make or break tie, his counterpart Henry Okecho of Warriors has more to worry about. His captain Lawrence Ssematimba and talisman Roger Mukasa are with Lenasia and will also be absent for the final. “Those two guys (Mukasa and Ssematimba) are class and will be hard to replace. But we have a good pool of players who want to stand out and shoulder the responsibility,” said Waiswa, who skipper the side.

Six weeks ago, Ugandan players were in fine form and the adrenaline was high but the same cannot be said of two sides that must also beat the fatigue that comes with a 15-hour bus ride to Nairobi.

Kongonis boasts of five internationals fresh from morale-boosting series where Kenya won six and drew one out of 12 matches against Ranji Trophy side Andhra Pradesh in India. Kongonis captain Rakep Patel, Alex Obanda, Duncan Allan, Shem Obado and Elijah Otieno impressed on the tour.

They will be joined by Serene Waters, Emmanuel Bundi, Dominic Wesonga and Rajesh Bhudiya for the epic 50-over contest against Knights tomorrow.

indawula@ug.nationmedia.com