Uganda announce squad for historic T20 World Cup; 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga included
May 06, 2024
Kampala [Uganda], May 6 : Uganda on Monday announced their 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup with Brian Masaba leading the team in the global event.
https://twitter.com/CricketUganda/status/1787439029492830631
Riazat Ali Shah will play the role of Masaba's deputy and the skipper joins several Ugandans with over a decade's experience in international cricket, underlined by 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, who will be became of the oldest players in the tournament.
Uganda advanced to Group C play, where they will face co-hosts West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Afghanistan, after stunning Zimbabwe and the African field in qualifying.
Nsubuga is revered as a hero in the burgeoning cricket community, and his choice of players for the team embodies a lifetime's commitment to the sport. As a 17-year-old, he played for Uganda in his first ICC Trophy, a qualifying tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Twenty-five years later, Nsubuga made news when he made a sprawling catch that approached the boundary during a Cricket World Cup Challenge League match against Kenya in 2022.
Not only has he garnered attention recently, but spin-bowling all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani is poised to maintain the same level of performance that earned him a nomination for the 2023 ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award.
Notable batsmen that can score runs at brisk rate are Riazat Ali Shah and Dinesh Nakrani. Juma Miyaji, a young player, has experience in the U19 World Cup, having participated in the 2022 tournament in the West Indies.
Although Uganda is participating in its first senior men's World Cup of any kind, the country has previously been represented in an international competition with the now-defunct East Africa squad, which competed in the 1975 Cricket World Cup.
Uganda will begin their T20 World Cup campaign on June 3 against Afghanistan in Guyana.
Squad: Brian Masaba (c), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah (vc), Juma Miyaji and Ronak Patel.
Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze and Ronald Lutaaya.
