Team Uganda has slid back and forth in the tier of global cricket. The East African nation is now stuck at the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division Three stage.
Having failed to host the event back in 2014 due to terror threats, Uganda now has the chance to earn promotion in front of the home crowd when they host the WCL Division Three showpiece at three different venues starting Tuesday. The Cricket Cranes start off their campaign for the coveted top two slots against 2011 World Cup finalists Canada at Lugogo Oval on Tuesday. “The first tournament result gives the team momentum rather than playing catch-up cricket,” opening batsman Arthur Kyobe told this website.
However, Uganda is the inferior side in this encounter considering that the men from Ottawa have won three of the past five meetings. The two sides last met at the 2015 ICC WCL Division Two where Canada won by 111 runs in the round-robin format but Uganda won the fifth-place play-off by eight wickets in Namibia.
Canada is coached by a Ugandan in Henry Osinde, who has got a bit of detail about their opponents but Cranes are unbothered. Uganda’s coach Steve Tikolo is expected to hand Kyobe and Hamu Kayondo the duties to face the new ball whereas Roger Mukasa and Kamal Shahzad will anchor the innings. Skipper Davis Karashani is well known with abilities to rotate the bowling engine where left-arm orthodox spinner Henry Ssenyondo is tipped to trouble Canada’s batsmen.
Canada is banking on experienced captain Nitish Kumar who struck a ton of 104 runs off 106 deliveries against Uganda the victory two years ago. Such is what Tikolo’s army would love avoid in front of their own. Besides Canada, Uganda will wrestle for success against Malaysia, Singapore, USA and Oman. The latter is one of the few ICC Associate nations still in pursuit of slots at both the 2018 ICC Twenty20 and 2019 50-Over World Cup tournaments.
2017 ICCC WCL DIVISION THREEUGANDA’S FIXTURESTUESDAY, MAY 23Canada vs. Uganda, Lugogo
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 Uganda vs. Singapore, Entebbe
FRIDAY MAY 26 Uganda vs. Oman, Kyambogo
SATURDAY, MAY 27 Uganda vs. Malaysia, Lugogo
MONDAY MAY 29 Uganda vs USA, Entebbe
UGANDA VS. CANADAPAST MEETINGS2015 ICC WCL DIVISION TWO (NAMIBIA)5th-place playoff: Canada 140/6 Uganda 144/2
(Uganda won by 8 wickets)Round-robin: Canada 293/6 Uganda 182/10
(Canada won by 111 runs)2014 ICC WC QUALIFIER (NEW ZEALAND)Warm-up: Uganda 245/8 Canada 174/10
(Uganda won by 71 runs)2013 ICC T20 WC QUALIFIER (UAE)Canada 137/7 Uganda 93/10
(Canada won by 44 runs)2009 ICC WC QUALIFIER (SOUTH AFRICA)Uganda 231/8 Canada 232/5
(Canada won by 5 wickets)Darren is a scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and, also a sports presenter with NBS Television and Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune