Mahatlane takes turns to polishing individual skills

Fine margins. Everyone talks about them. Modern sport always comes down to that. For a sport where numbers are all you sell, cricket is indeed about razor-thin margins.

The difference between a great cover drive and being caught at first or second slip is often in the batsman’s ability to play the ball or the front foot or the bowler providing width.
When pacer Charles Waiswa bowls a toe remover – call it a good yorker – he knocks the stumps several metres back. If he misses his length by an inch, it’s a catch, in the stands.

It’s this detail and more that will decide Uganda’s success in their scattered international schedule that has been greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The coach has opted to work on issues of specific players in specific areas,” national team manager Jackson Kavuma says.  South African coach Laurence Mahatlane has designed a schedule that has batsmen and all-rounders training on Mondays, and bowlers on Wednesdays.  

Unique schedule
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Cricket Cranes summoned last month has match practice to stay locked in having not felt the leather for a lengthy period last year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
“The coach and his assistant (Jackson Ogwang) are doing this to try and limit numbers,” Kavuma. Mahatlane, who was unveiled here in November, summoned 18 players to be part of the training squad. Four were later added to make the number a bulky 22.

At the time, the national team coach was hoping for a first run on the grass in Qatar. The trip, then set for December, would be called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He had earlier got his first glimpse of Uganda players in the Cricket Elite League that ran in late November. Like many sports, that was the first time for players to place bat on leather in several months.

Then, the team broke off on December 18 only to return on January 4. Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) conducted Covid-19 tests and thankfully, found all players negative.
Training started on January 6 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval in the aforementioned groups – batsmen, all-rounders and bowlers. Have you thought about who bowls to batters and who hits for bowlers on their respective days?

“If a batsman comes in and in consultation with the coach agree that he should work on his drive or pull or back foot drive, the coaches do throw downs and find a precise result,” Kavuma responds.
However, not everyone who attends training is part of the 22. “Anyone is invited to train with the national team even if not part of the squad,” he adds.

“If you think you can impress the coach, then you follow the schedule and come practice. On any given day, we have 26 players.”
Mahatlane remains hopeful that the pandemic eases and allows the team have some game time in a year that has so much to look forward.

Had it not been for the uncertainty, the Cricket Cranes would heading out to Qatar and India next month for the rearranged trips.
With that now cancelled, UCA want to go to Tanzania. “We got to learn that Kenya were touring Tanzania for a bilateral so we requested to tag along to make it a tri-series,” Kavuma reveals.

Complicated build-ups
However, the difference in approach towards the Covid-19 pandemic between Uganda and Tanzania has complicated the trip.
“You know the stance that President (John Pombe) Magufuli took. So we have asked for some verifications to be made. For example; do we sleep at the same hotel?” the manager reasons. “If all this is worked out, we will confirm the tour next week.”

That would an important tournament as Uganda intend to fulfil an invite they have received from Namibia.
That invitational tournament is expected to precede the Twenty20 Africa qualifying tournament in Stellenbosch, South Africa this April.  
“The plan is to go to Namibia and then connect to South Africa for the African qualifying tournament,” Kavuma explains.
The two finalists from South Africa will go to Nigeria in November for the global qualifier where only the winner will advance to the global T20 World Cup qualifier in Australia.

In addition, Cricket Cranes have to travel to Jersey in September for the ICC Cricket Challenge League B.
Uganda lead the five-team league with 10 points after their flawless performance in December, 2019 in the Gulf city of Muscat, Oman.
Kenya, Jersey, Italy and Hong Kong are the other teams. “We host the challenge league series from January 22 to February 7, 2022,” Kavuma confirms.
No wonder, the finer details matter the most.
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CRICKET CRANES’ SCHEDULE
February 2021: Tanzania Tri-Series – pending confirmation
March 2021: Namibia Invitational
April 2021: Africa T20 Qualifier Tournament
July 2021: Takashinga Visit (Zimbabwe)
September 2021: ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B in Jersey
November 2021: Africa T20 Finals Tournament in Nigeria
January-February 2021: ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B in Uganda

TRAINING SQUAD
 Arnold Otwani, Saud Islam, Ronak Patel, Dinesh Nakrani, Riazat Ali Shah, Frank Nsubuga, Brian Masaba, Frank Akankwasa, Kenneth Waiswa, Fred Achelam, Richard Agamire, Henry Ssenyondo, Zephania Arinaitwe, David Wabwire, Simon Ssesaazi, Siraje Nsubuga, Steven Wabwose, Shahzad Kamal, Trevor Bukenya, Deus Muhumuza, Roger Mukasa, Calvin Watuwa, Emma Hasahya