Cricket Cranes camp in Jinja as World Cup preps start in earnest

It's the World Cup year, and the pace is quickening in the early days of 2024. From gaining recognition for having one of the highest winning ratios in T20Is for both their men's and women's teams, Ugandan cricket is truly in the spotlight.

A couple of days ago, all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani was equally stunned to find himself alongside global cricket stars Suryakumar Yadav of India, Mark Champman of New Zealand, and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza on the shortlist for the ICC T20 Cricketer of the Year Award.

And in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup scheduled for June 4-30 in the West Indies and the USA, the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) is leaving no stone unturned. A 26-member training squad is currently in Jinja for a 10-day bootcamp at the Nile River Explorers – renowned for White Water Rafting in Uganda – focusing on character-building and team bonding. Following this, the team will embark on another 10-day camp at the I Can We Can (ICWC) Omtex Institute in Saphale, India at the back-end of this week. The focus remains on ample preparation for the tournament.

Battlelines drawn

On Day Two – January 4 - of the camp in Jinja, news trickled in from International Cricket Council (ICC) with the World Cup groups and fixtures released. Uganda finds itself in Group C, competing against highly-rated New Zealand, host nation West Indies, Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea. Local pundits have hinted that the draw is relatively fair compared to other groups.

Interim head coach Jackson Ogwang expressed enthusiasm for the fixture schedule, with the Cricket Cranes set to face Afghanistan on June 3 in Guyana, followed by matches against Papua New Guinea and West Indies on June 5 and 8 at the same venue. The group stage will conclude with a match against New Zealand on June 14 in Trinidad & Tobago, the home island of cricketing icon Brian Charles Lara.

“It is a fair group and we will be looking to cause some upsets,” said Ogwang. “A camp like this helps us have clear conversations on what we can do and where we can improve. It will also remind us how far we have come as a unit and also motivate us to outdo each other as we look to make our country proud.”

The top two finishers in each of the groups will progress to the Super 8 and earn automatic qualification to the next edition that will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

The Jinja camp includes a mix of activities, from nets sessions and inter-squad trial matches to team-building exercises, village coaching initiatives, and insights from Uganda's cricketing knowledgeable brains, legends and coaches, who will serve as inspirational speakers during this intensive preparation phase.

TRAINING SQUAD

Batsmen: Roger Mukasa, Simon Ssesazi, Ronak Patel, Robinson Obuya, Ronald Lutaya, Calvin Watuwa, Steven Wabwose

All Rounders: Riazat Ali Shah, Dinesh Nakrani, Brian Masaba, Alpesh Ramjani, Kenneth Waiswa, Pascal Murungi, Fred Achelam (wk), Cyrus Kakuru (wk)

Spinners: Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Joseph Baguma, Siraje Nsubuga

Seamers: Bilal Hassun, Juma Miyaji, Cosmas Kyewuta, Jonathan Ssebanja, David Wabwire, Innocent Mwebaze, Muhammed Shaaf

ABOUT THE BOOTCAMP

Residence: Nile River Explorers  - 15 kms out of the Jinja City Center.

Bonding Activities

Water slide into the Nile, 60km cycling along the Nile, Nature walks along the Nile, Village coaching, Tubbing on the Nile, Visit to Busowoko Falls.

Inspirational Speakers

Ranmal Keshwala, Emmanuel Tibagye, Robert Kisubi, Habibu Mugalula, Isaac Imaka, Justine Ligyalingi, Nandkishore Patel

T20 WORLD CUP GROUPS

Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, USA

Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman

Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua N. Guinea

Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal

UGANDA’S GROUP C FIXTURES

vs. Afghanistan, June 3, Guyana

vs. PNG , June 5, Guyana

vs. West Indies , June 8, Guyana

vs. New Zealand , June 14, Trinidad