Suji sure India Tour will work magic
Lawrence Ssematimba is rated as the best spin player in Uganda. PHOTO BY Eddie Chicco.
What you need to know:
Coach Martin Suji will be hoping to kill two birds with one stone, teach his team how to play spin and solve the batting conundrum, in India.
KAMPALA
For eternity, batting has been Uganda’s Achilles problem. If it were not for the poor shifts with the willow, Uganda would have put up a better show at the just concluded ICC Africa Regional Women’s Twenty 20 World Cup Qualifier in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
To wrap the ladies mediocre shows, they were bowled out thrice in T20 matches - something that is ‘criminal’ in that format of the game. And as the senior men’s team continues to prepare for the crunch ICC World Cricket League Division III due April next year, coach Martin Suji believes the tour to India in March will help his charges shape up for the Bermuda challenge.
“Bermuda is our prime target next year,” Suji said. “The India Tour is a good motive by Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) and our sponsors (Mehta Group) to help our players polish their skills.”
UCA are leaving no stone unturned as they pull strings to make sure Uganda can play in the 2015 World Cup and more importantly regain their status as a High Performance Programme nation that attracts lucrative funding from the international body. Uganda have to make the final in Bermuda to earn that status.
While in India, Uganda will train and play trial matches with Kolkata Knight Riders - the reigning champions of the Indian Premier League. “India will help the batsmen face slow (spin) bowlers while bowlers will feel a touch of the hard hitters,” a soft spoken Suji noted.
