Challenge B to run as carnival

For coach Abhay Sharma and his charges, the senior national men’s cricket team clearly has little time left to furnish their batting before they face their own crowd at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup Challenge League (CWCCL) B tournament.

The Cricket Cranes are in a preparation camp in South Africa and back home, Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) is fine-tuning Lugogo and Entebbe Ovals for the November 4-16 showpiece.

The tournament is the first of three legs at CWCCL where Uganda is pushing for a slot at the 2027 ODI (One-Day International) World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

“We want to finish on top of Challenge B as Uganda. It’s a phase but in our road map, we need to first ensure that we come top of Challenge League B,” UCA board member Fred Lutaaya told the media in Lugogo.

Lutaaya is the forthcoming tournament’s Local Organizing Committee (LoC) chairman and with the five other countries left with less than a month to fly to Entebbe, the hosts are busy.

UCA and the LoC yesterday announced a partnership worth undisclosed amounts with Nile Breweries Limited under the brand of Nile Special to set stage for a cricket carnival next month.  

Uganda is looking to make most of its home advantage against opponents including Tanzania, Bahrain, Singapore, Italy and Hong Kong.

“As the LoC with the help of the board, we are planning to have a fun tournament. We can’t walk this path alone. For all purposes, we had to call on our partners (NBL),” noted Lutaaya.

“Not only are we just sponsors, we want to create an experience that is worthwhile,” said Nile Special’s brand manager Eric Malinga.

“We also want to give an experience that is memorable. Expect a lot of entertainment but we also believe this partnership will grow further with other leagues and properties.

This was short notice, we intend to finalize our discussions with UCA and then make it official,” added Malinga about the sponsorship package.

This is the fourth sports discipline where NBL has offered a financial shot in the arm, after football, rugby and pool table. Nile Special has recently succeeded with carnival atmospheres at football but mainly, rugby.

Such prospective atmospheres for cricket are common at major T20 franchise and World Cup tournaments elsewhere in the world. “From the technical wing, we need to win. In terms of preparation, control measures, we are going to ensure that we have a memorable and exciting time,” added Lutaaya.

Lugogo Oval is undergoing rehabilitation works days after Sheebah Karungi’s concert on Friday and National Council of Sports (NCS) gave assurances of the venue.

“Our mandate is to prioritize sports, Lugogo will not have any other interruptions but for the tournament,” said NCS assistant general secretary – administration Joseph Oluga.

The Cricket Cranes, where no batsman is yet to make a half-century, meanwhile return from their camp in South Africa at the end of the week.

ICC WORLD CRICKET LEAGUE CHALLENGE LEAGUE B

FIRST ROUND DETAILS

Dates: November 5-16

Administrator(s): International Cricket Council

Cricket format: List A

Tournament format: Round-robin

Host: Uganda Cricket Association

Participants: 6 (Bahrain, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda)

Matches: 15

UGANDA’S FIXTURES

Nov 6: Uganda vs. Singapore, Lugogo

Nov 9: Uganda vs. Tanzania, Lugogo

Nov 10: Uganda vs. Hong Kong, Lugogo

Nov 13: Uganda vs. Italy, Entebbe

Nov 16: Uganda vs. Bahrain, Entebbe