Uganda look to stop Zim’s unbeaten run
Home and dry: Lady Cricket Cranes top order batter Naomi Kayondo (right) makes a desperate dive to successfully complete Uganda’s second run against Zimbabwe at Lugogo Oval on Sunday. Zimbabwe won the game. photo by Eddie Chicco
What you need to know:
Uganda will look to turn their words into action on the field when they take on coach Adam Chifo’s Zimbabweans at Lugogo Oval this afternoon in what will be a dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s final.
Kampala. Lady Cricket Cranes coaches Michael Grace Ndiko and Habibu Mugalula might just be in their first tenures as the national senior women’s cricket team tutors, but the pair is already sounding like they have been holding the delicate job titles forever.
With Uganda having already won two or lost one game in the Victoria Tri-Series that is being played under the Twenty20 format and with three countries; Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda in the fray, the coaches, though, have refused to get carried away by the early victories.
The knowledgeable pair are intent on ensuring Uganda conjures up the winning combinations ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Africa Twenty20 World Cup Qualifier scheduled for May 3-13 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
“We are also discovering ourselves and helping our relationships with the players improve,” Jinja-based Mugalula opened up on what the Victoria Tri-Series, which has ICC T20 International Status, is helping them achieve.
“Cricket especially Twenty20 is a game of fine margins. We look back to the few things we missed; catches, stumpings and giving away many extras and wonder what could have been better. Our batting, which I believe is our strength, has not yet clicked. We are learning and this experience will be vital for us in Harare.”
For Ndiko, the team must continue to try and execute the set game plans as well as the basics.
“In such tourneys, the team that does the basics well will always win. We were not at our best against Zimbabwe.
“The team morale was low. Our bowlers tried too hard hence the cause of extras and the batsmen need to be more positive; pick more singles and hit the bad balls to the boundary,” said Ndiko, who is also a former Cricket Cranes batsman.
Uganda will look to turn their words into action on the field when they take on coach Adam Chifo’s Zimbabweans at Lugogo Oval this afternoon in what will be a dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s final.
The Lady Chevrons are yet to lose a game on their historic and maiden tour to the Pearl of Africa.
