Cricket Cranes flagged off to South Africa for build-up tour ahead of ICC Men’s World Cup Qualifier
David GOMBE
The Cricket Cranes will tomorrow depart for Pretoria, South Africa, for their final build-up tour ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Finals scheduled for September 19th October 5 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
This one-week camp in the Rainbow Nation will give the Cranes the acid test they need before the cut-throat qualifiers, with high-profile fixtures lined up against elite South African franchises; Titans and Lions alongside specialized training sessions at the renowned High Performance Centre.
The team flies out on the back of a 12-day bootcamp in Jinja, where fitness, skill refinement, and bonding activities sharpened both spirit and discipline. From ice baths at Paradise Hotel, strength and conditioning workout Fitness Health Gym to match simulations at Jinja SS Oval and recovery work at Jinja Backpackers, the Cricket Cranes embraced an all-round program that married intensity with camaraderie.
Head coach Abhay Sharma believes his side is nearing its best shape yet:
“I can tell you that our team is 85 per cent ready for the task ahead. What remains is fine-tuning and ensuring belief. I don’t take pressure I prefer to give pressure instead. I want the matches in South Africa to be high scoring. I want our bowlers to be tested under fire, and our batsmen to fully showcase their skills. That is the only way to play this game. We look forward to everything that will be put before us. It is time to work.”
For skipper Riazat Ali Shah, the mission is simple and collective:
“The roles of every player are clearly defined. The batsmen must score runs; the bowlers must operate clinically with their field sets, get dot balls and take wickets. If we all deliver individually,
the team will function as a well-drilled unit. Titans and Lions will give us a tough test, the kind we need before Zimbabwe. And we count on our fans in Harare to rally behind us because there will be no easy games, even in the warm-ups.”
Uganda stunned Zimbabwe in Windhoek 2023, winning by five wickets with five balls to spare to qualify for a first-ever World Cup. That fairy-tale was extended with a debut win against Papua New Guinea at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Now, the challenge is to return to the global competition.
In South Africa, the Cricket Cranes will be involved in three games against Titans and Lions- some of South Africa’s top franchises- between 14 and 17 September. They will depart South Africa for Zimbabwe on Thursday 18.
The travelling squad
Riazat Ali Shah (Cpt), Frank Nsubuga, Dinesh Nakrani Maganlal, Henry Ssenyondo, Alpesh Ramjani Ravilal, Robinson Obuya, Raghav Dhawan, Juma Miyaji, Shrideep Mangela, Cosmas Kyewuta, Sumeet Verma, Gaurav Tomar, Cyrus Kakuru, Joseph Baguma and Innocent Mwebaze..