Uganda want to bring energy to World Cup

Brian Masaba thinks he has nan champion leader successful nan world.

The Uganda skipper has led his state to their first World Cup but he besides useful part-time arsenic a procurement manager, buying pens, insubstantial and "whatever nan institution needs".

"When I needed to inquire my leader for clip disconnected he was much than happy to springiness maine it," Masaba tells BBC Sport.

"He is simply a huge, immense cricket fan.

"He will beryllium connected nan first level to nan Caribbean himself."

Finding a cricket-mad leader is not nan easiest task successful a state successful cardinal Africa wherever shot rules.

In Uganda location are conscionable 20 clubs for a organization of 47 cardinal people. To put that into perspective, Ireland has six times that number. Yorkshire has 800.

While Rashid Khan – who will characteristic for Uganda's first opponents Afghanistan connected Tuesday - prepared amid nan flashing lights and deafening sound of nan Indian Premier League, Masaba's build-up included days successful nan agency pinch an early greeting nett and a late-evening fielding session.

"We find a measurement to make it work," says Masaba, a Real Madrid instrumentality and nan boy of a footballer.

"I person to find nan clip to activity nan weekends."

The Cricket Cranes qualified for this World Cup pinch a stunning triumph complete Zimbabwe successful nan African qualifiers past twelvemonth - their first triumph complete a Test-playing nation.

Three years earlier, they were classed beneath Austria and Guernsey, astatine which shape their then-coach Lawrence Mahatlane sat nan squad down and mapped retired their way to nan Caribbean and United States.

"The guys looked astatine him for illustration he was crazy," says Masaba, who has ne'er moreover been to a World Cup lucifer arsenic a spectator.

"But erstwhile we thought astir it, we conscionable had to hit 1 of nan 2 higher-ranked sides successful nan tourney and not suffer to nan others.

"It was a process to commencement believing."

That process has led Uganda to cricket's world stage, wherever they will compete successful a group pinch co-hosts West Indies, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea.

They are not nan lowest-ranked broadside successful this expanded 20-team World Cup - they are 22nd successful nan world standings, a spot supra Canada - but they are nan only squad appearing astatine their first awesome tournament.

Their squad features 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, an all-rounder who made his debut successful 1997 - 5 years earlier James Anderson made his world bow.

"Frank loves cricket," Masaba says. "It is his life and why he has fixed 25 years to nan game.

"I property 1 of nan reasons for qualification to wanting to do it for him."

Opener Simon Ssesazi, whose leader is Chris Gayle and who refers to himself connected societal media arsenic 'The Tiger', is Uganda's starring T20 run-scorer aged 27.

They besides person 2 young quicks, 22-year-old Cosmas Kyewuta and Juma Miyaji, 21, tin of bowling successful excess of 80mph, while no-one successful nan world took much T20 world wickets successful 2023 than their spinner Alpesh Ramjani.

Ramjani, 29, is 1 of a group of Asia-born cricketers who moved to Uganda for activity but person since qualified via nan International Cricket Council’s residency rules.

Another, all-rounder Dinesh Nakrani, made his T20 debut for his authorities successful a lucifer that besides featured Cheteshwar Pujara. Later that year, he bowled Hardik Pandya successful an Under-23s game.

"Uganda is simply a very unfastened state truthful these guys person nary problem bonding pinch nan team," Masaba says.

"One of nan keys to our occurrence is we person had a halfway group that has played together for a agelong time."

In 32-year-old Masaba, who made his debut successful 2011, they person a skipper who speaks for illustration a statesman arsenic he assesses nan "crazy" fewer months since qualification, and what mightiness hap next.

"We want to bring a small spot of our civilization to nan world stage," he says.

"We intend to transportation pinch america a spot of our Ugandan-ness, which is that we are very happy people, very welcoming, jolly and very energetic.

"That is really we for illustration to play our cricket."

Masaba speaks of Uganda's "unique opportunity" to turn nan crippled but is keen to make a acquainted plea to nan ICC.

"We tin only beryllium arsenic bully arsenic nan teams we play against," he says.

"That crippled against Zimbabwe, nan closest we get to play a Test nation, was nan first clip we person played them successful 10 years.

"That paints a image of really difficult it is for a federation for illustration Uganda to get value opposition."

Masaba's squad - who were precocious awarded cardinal contracts, a rarity for immoderate athletics successful nan state - person had to cram successful arsenic overmuch cricket arsenic imaginable successful caller months, astir their part-time jobs.

They person travelled to India to play nine and authorities sides and made 2 trips to Sri Lanka to look developmental XIs. They person been taking much catches, spending much clip successful nan nets and lifting much weights successful nan gym.

"We person had to set arsenic players," Masaba says. "It has fixed america a sensation of what a master cricketer's life should beryllium like.

"I americium hoping a mates of guys tin put successful performances and get picked up by nan franchise leagues astir nan world.

"That would beryllium immense for Ugandan cricket - it could animate nan adjacent generation."

Masaba isn't nan only 1 pinch an awesome boss.

Fourteen Uganda cricketers successful nan Caribbean person 1 too.