The encounter against Afghanistan will be their first in a World Cup, whether a T20 or ODI.
The excitement in the Uganda camp and at home is understandable. After all,
their first World Cup game, whether a T20 or an ODI, will be against
Afghanistan on Monday in Providence. Their captain, Brian Masaba, says they
"carry a whole country's hopes" on their backs.
"Absolutely huge game for us, our first game at a World Cup, first ever for
Uganda in our history, so we are very excited to get going," Masaba said
on the eve of the match. "Obviously, there's a bit of nerves but we've got
to keep our focus on the game and try to get the result that we need because we
need to kick off the tournament in the right way with good results."
There
is certainly a lot of excitement at home. It's not only a first for us in
cricket, but I believe we're the third team in any sport in the country to
qualify for the World Cup. So it's no little feat. So it's not just the cricket
community that is behind us; there are a lot of other guys in different sports,
as well as the government back home. So, the entire country is extremely
pleased with what this team has accomplished, and they are looking forward to seeing
us out there representing the country with pride. It's a great burden for us;
it's no longer just about cricket, but we carry the dreams of an entire country
on our shoulders."
Uganda qualified for the World Cup through the Africa Qualifier, defeating
Zimbabwe by five wickets and finishing second in the seven-team points system.
The only team they lost to was Namibia, who were also qualifiers. Aside from
Afghanistan, Uganda's group in the T20 World Cup includes the West Indies, New
Zealand, and Papua New Guinea."After our qualifier last November, we obviously
realized we needed to play a lot of cricket to prepare ourselves for this World
Cup; it's a different level for us," Masaba stated. "And it was
critical for us as a team to be here fully prepared, having had the appropriate
amount of preparation.
In addition to intra-squad games, there were excursions to Sri Lanka and India. So we believe we have practiced and prepared adequately for this competition. Yes, it represents a significant problem for us. It is a difficult bunch, but we are looking forward to the task. It's a few of the world's best sides, but how we perform tomorrow and the type of cricket we play will be critical to our success."
Uganda will also be encouraged by PNG's close encounter with the West Indies on
Sunday, despite losing in the end.
"We were watching that game very closely," Masaba stated.
"Obviously, we were unfamiliar with the local conditions, so we needed to
learn as much as we could from that game. And the way Papua New Guinea played
is a fantastic indicator for us as well. It demonstrates that the divide is not
as large as many people would like to believe.
"I feel that if some of the lesser countries are allowed to play and exposure, they can compete with the best teams. So
we're really pleased with how that game went, and we're hoping to repeat that
tomorrow."
When asked about the squad's upcoming talent, Masaba cited Juma Miyagi and
Cosmas Kyewuta, both fast bowlers.
"They've done well for us in recent years, and seeing them achieve what
they do at such a young age is quite thrilling. Hopefully, this platform will
give them further opportunities in the future.
But you know we have seasoned performers like Riazat Ali Shah, who is a highly excellent all-rounder. He has won a few crucial games for us. So it's a pretty dynamic group. It is not overly reliant on any single person. Most of the time, it's a great team effort that earns us the win, so it's something I hope we can do again in this tournament."
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