Uganda sealed their 2024 T20 World Cup qualification in November last year - pipping the likes of Zimbabwe and Kenya, known power centres in African cricket. (Photo: Uganda Cricket)Frank Nsubuga says he and his teammates couldn’t sleep. “When we returned home, it was like we were dreaming with open eyes,” he tells The Indian Express.
The throwback is to November 2023. Such was the occasion for the Uganda cricket team, who had managed to qualify for their first-ever ICC World Cup, pipping the likes of Zimbabwe and Kenya – known power centres in African cricket. On Thursday, Uganda made history when they registered their first win in the World Cup as they beat Papua New Guinea in a low-scoring thriller.
But how did they get here? It would be wrong to consider their qualification as a fluke. Not long after they made it to the T20 World Cup, Uganda successfully defended their African T20 Cup title. It’s a competition that offers a stage to lesser-known sides in the continent, and of late, Uganda has emerged as a contender to compete at the pinnacle of the sport. But the ticket to the US and the West Indies wasn’t earned in a day.
Since 2020, Uganda have won more T20Is than any other nation. But while the quality of opposition they often face may not be too high, there has been a conscious decision to play as many games as possible. In fact, in the past four years, Uganda are only behind India, Pakistan and New Zealand in the number of T20Is played.
“For us, it started three and a half years ago,” says skipper Brian Masaba. “During the Covid outbreak, Lawrence Mahatlane became our coach. He drew a roadmap for us that ended with us playing at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He presented it to the board and the players, and we bought into it. After that, it was just about being very sincere about everything we did, the number of games we played, our practice sessions… all conversations were about having a chance of featuring at the T20 World Cup.”
Frank Nsubuga, a Uganda cricket veteran, who will become one of the oldest players to play the T20 World Cup. (Uganda cricket)
Masaba offers an insight into the country’s cricketing system, and how players are chosen for the national team. “We have a club structure. But this particular group of players were picked from a larger squad. You can call it sort of a high-performance programme that was put in place once the roadmap was drawn. Over the last four years, the Uganda Cricket Association has managed to give contracts to 25 players.”
Among the 25 is Nsubuga, a Uganda cricket veteran, who will become one of the oldest players to play the T20 World Cup. The 43-year-old, who made his debut for the national team in 1996, remembers very different times when he had started out.
“When I was young, cricket wasn’t so easy. We used to struggle with a lot of things like equipment and had to manage most things ourselves, even on tours. Now things have changed. At least on every ICC tour, it is all paid for. We have sponsors. Nowadays, you just have to focus on working hard to be picked by the selectors,” Nsubuga says.
Uganda skipper Brian Masaba believes a more foundational change taking place in the country is schools adding cricket to their curriculum. (ICC)
But it’s not just about taking care of the sport at the top. Masaba points to a more foundational change taking place in Uganda, that is likely to have a positive impact on cricket in the long run. “Football is huge in Uganda. Not only in Uganda, in Africa generally. It’s very difficult for cricket to compete with football because historically Uganda has always been a footballing nation and football is much easier to spread as it’s way more cost-effective. But with this qualification for the World Cup, the interest in cricket has grown. Now, a number of schools have started to put cricket in their curriculum, which for me is a big plus and hopefully, we will build on that platform.”
Looking up to the Windies
It is fitting that the first ICC world event that Uganda are featuring in is being co-hosted by the West Indies. With T20 being the format to open the doors for Uganda to a World Cup, their affinity towards the two-time world champions is not surprising.
“The West Indians are very popular in Uganda because of the way they play their cricket and how exciting they are to watch,” Masaba shares.
Nsubuga, who once doted on the Australian brand of cricket, has now taken a liking for the T20 stars from the Caribbean, so much so that he named his son after one. “Ricky Ponting was my idol because at the time he was playing in such a dominating team. I liked him and that’s why I took jersey number 14. Right now, I’m following Andre Russell. Before him, I was a fan of (Kieron) Pollard. I also named my son after him (laughs), because of the fierce brand of cricket he was playing. I am a big fan of the West Indian brand of cricket.”
That brand of cricket is something the Ugandans are keen on replicating on their World Cup debut, Masaba says.
“Our brand of cricket is to enjoy and have fun in the park. We will run hard, throw ourselves around on the field. We will play with a smile on our faces. We like to win, we like to compete, but we play the game in the right spirit. We like to have a good time. Hopefully, we can show the world what Ugandan cricket has to offer.”
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