Cricket Cranes flagged off to Nigeria for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier
David GOMBE
National Council of Sports (NCS) Assistant General Secretary Technical Milton Chebet and Senior Sports Officer Anne Nankya and Cricket Uganda CEO Evelyn Kabongerwa Shinyekwa flagged off the 14-man squad and officials at the NCS Headquarters in Kampala on Friday morning ahead of the October 18–25 competition in Nigeria.
Led by captain Riazat Ali Shah and vice-captain Kenneth Waiswa, Uganda enter the six-team tournament as the highest-ranked side among the participating countries.
The immediate target is a top-two finish, which would secure progression to the Africa Regional Final on the road to the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Uganda made their maiden appearance at the global tournament in the West Indies and the United States in 2024 but missed out on the 2026 edition.
The Abuja assignment offers the Cranes an opportunity to take an important step towards returning to the world stage.
“We feel these are the best 14 players to go and do the job for us in Abuja. We have a good combination of experienced players and youngsters who have put up their hands whenever they have been selected,” Tikolo said.
He cited performances during recent assignments, including the tour of India and the ILT20 Continent Cup in Kigali, as part of the assessment that informed selection.
He added that exposing younger players to international competition was important in building a wider pool of players for the future.
Tikolo was also confident that the squad could cope with the absence of injured all-rounder Dinesh Nakrani and opening bowler Cosmas Kyewuta.
“I am confident in the boys going to Abuja. Our target is to go there and win the tournament, not only qualify. We have spoken about that as a team, and everybody understands the goal,” added the 55-year-old tactician.
However, he cautioned against underestimating any opponent, stressing the value of taking each match as it comes and maintaining standards in all three areas.
“It is a T20 tournament, and you cannot take anybody lightly. We must cover all our bases in batting, bowling and fielding,” he added.
Uganda open their campaign against Zambia on October 20 before facing Lesotho the following day.
After a rest day, they take on The Gambia on October 23, Mozambique on October 24 and hosts Nigeria on October 25.
The schedule will require the Cranes to manage workloads and maintain consistency, with four matches coming in six calendar days.
Their ranking gives them a strong starting position, but progression will depend on each performance.
Riazat Ali Shah, Robinson Obuya, Raghav Dhawan, Gerald Olipa, Sumeet Verma, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Pius Oloka, Anas Baig Mirza, Charles Musemeza, Cyrus Kakuru, Juma Miyaji, Joseph Baguma and Enock Kasaija.
UGANDA’S FIXTURES – MOSHOOD ABIOLA STADIUM, ABUJA
October 20: Uganda vs. Zambia — 11:30 am EAT, NCF Oval 1
October 21: Lesotho vs. Uganda — 11:30 am EAT, NCF Oval 2
October 23: The Gambia vs. Uganda — 3:50 pm EAT, NCF Oval 2
October 24: Uganda vs. Mozambique — 11:30 am EAT, NCF Oval 2
October 25: Nigeria vs. Uganda — 3:50 pm EAT, NCF Oval 1