Masaba aims to instil winning culture into Cricket Cranes

Masaba wants to slowly convert the naysayers into believers and ambassadors of the Cricket Cranes. PHOTO BY INNOCENT NDAWULA

What you need to know:

  • With tactical acumen coupled by cool and calm demeanour, Masaba will be eager to silence the doubters gradually over time and live his desired captaincy dream.
  • If this was a usual job probation, Masaba’s trial period would have been cancelled already, with those in charge worried that he could be wooed away for another juicy offer. Masaba, a professional procurement officer, has a win-loss percentage ratio, thus far, that any of the most recent captains can only envy.

Brian Mark Masaba, the new Cricket Cranes skipper, harbours a dream to be Uganda’s best-ever captain.
But even early on in his stint, a handful of critics are already baring their fangs and pointing a finger at the new man at the helm who previously served as vice captain under Davis Karashani and Roger Mukasa.

Masaba, though, has a charming persona. He is one to pays little attention to detractors and even when angry, it is hard to tell because he hardly gets animated.

Already in his short captaincy stint, Masaba boasts of a 3-2 series triumph during last month’s Tour of Zimbabwe - a warm-up event for this ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup (CWC) Challenge League. And on Monday, he got his international era underway in stellar fashion when he steered Uganda to a 25-run triumph against Jersey at Oman Cricket’s lush green twin turf ovals.

But because of a career that he started as an all-rounder, then to medium pace first-change bowler, to leg-spinner, then to a batting all-rounder and at this tournament, he showed that he could rewind the clock and bowl medium pace again - this was after the Uganda’s technical team advised that team bowls more pace than spin to the Jersey batsmen, who are technically gifted to play spin better.

It is because of his ever-changing chameleon-like nature that former skipper, close friend and mentor Karashani baptised him the ‘Master Confuser’ moniker.

“It is hard to control what people think about you,” Masaba, ever-witty, said about the detractors in a little chat with yours truly as Team Uganda watched Kenya go down to Italy by four wickets in Al Amerat yesterday. “My role is different now. It shouldn’t be about my captaincy but about how I will help drive forward the team’s interests. I have to work with the management to ensure that the team treads a successful path.”

If this was a usual job probation, Masaba’s trial period would have been cancelled already, with those in charge worried that he could be wooed away for another juicy offer. Masaba, a professional procurement officer, has a win-loss percentage ratio, thus far, that any of the most recent captains can only envy.
“I would love to leave a mark with my own style without compromising the exciting brand of cricket the team plays.

“Our bowling must be a workaholic unit that backs up each other and the batsmen must be willing to spend sometime in the middle and look to execute the things we have been working on in practice.
“We have the ability to explode at the end of any innings if we have wickets in hand,” Masaba said of his ‘possible’ wish.

And with tactical acumen coupled by cool and calm demeanour, Masaba will be eager to silence the doubters gradually over time and live his desired captaincy dream.

ICC CWC CHALLENGE LEAGUE B

Round One Results
Uganda 248/8 Jersey 223/10
Uganda won by 25 runs
Kenya 210/10 Italy 211/6
Italy won by 4 wickets
Bermuda 291/8 Hong Kong 294/7
Hong Kong won by 3 wickets

TABLE STANDINGS (ROUND ONE)
TEAM M W L PTS NRR
Uganda 1 1 0 2 0.500
Italy 1 1 0 2 0.289
H.Kong 1 1 0 2 0.139
Bermuda 1 0 1 0 -0.139
Kenya 1 0 1 0 -0.289
Jersey 1 0 1 0 -0.500

Fixtures - December 5 (9am)
Uganda vs. Kenya, OC Turf 2
Hong Kong vs. Jersey, OC Turf 1

BRIAN MASABA
Full name:
Brian Mark Masaba
Nickname:
‘McDonald’, ‘Confuser’
Club: Aziz Damani
Date of birth:
September 22, 1991
Batting style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling style:
Right-arm fast-medium/ Leg break googly
Best score/bowling: 109*, 9/26
National Team debut: 2011 Africa T20 vs. Ghana in Kampala
Jersey No.: 49