Italy offers Uganda no pizza, pasta

Contrary to previous tense times, Team Uganda is slowly marching through the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup Challenge League (CWCCL) B tournament in front of the home crowd with minimal batting trouble.

There has, thus far, been little firefighting with the wickets column in the opening 25 overs of action. Coach Abhay Sharma, his assistant Jackson Ogwang and batting consultant Craig Williams have been more relaxed thanks to delivery from the top six batsmen.

Of course skipper Riazat Ali Shah has had some recovery to do and sometimes required to accelerate the innings in company of Dinesh Nakrani and Alpesh Ramjani.

Above the trio, Kenneth Waiswa has made a good account of himself, hitting low yet key double digit scores of 26*, 20 and 31 respectively in the opening victories over Singapore in Entebbe, Tanzania and then the washout against Hong Kong in Lugogo.

“I have tuned my mindset on playing the ball very late in these wickets, it’s very key and making sure the bowlers work for my wicket,” Waiswa, who turned 26 on Monday, told this paper.

His face was smeared with cake cream by his friends and teammates in camp. Indeed, Waiswa is happy with his display thus far but of course, there is room to improve.

"I wouldn’t be very hard on myself with failing to convert these starts to big scores but I am very confident a big one is around the corner,” he said.

And that could come in handy when Uganda, which is yet to concede defeat in the showpiece that builds up to the 2027 ICC ODI (One Day International) Cricket World Cup, faces a much-improved Italy in Match 4 at Entebbe Oval on Wednesday morning.

“I am very impressed with the way the team has handled business in this tournament. We wanted to win all the five games coming into the tournament and we have what it takes to do that,” noted Waiswa.

While the rain on Sunday afternoon in Lugogo derailed Hong Kong’s chase of 292 runs at 72-3 after 15.2 overs, the Cricket Cranes are yet to be put in a real spot of bother.

In Italy, the Gareth Berg-coached outfit has shown batting exploits which could test Uganda in Entebbe. South Africa-born Berg has strengthened the side’s batting potential after the introduction of players like English-born left-hander Emilio Gay and Joe Burns atop the order.

At 35, Burns is a former player of Australia and around 2015-16, he played as David Warner’s Test opening batting partner.

Gay, Burns and skipper Marcus Campopiano from Middlesex, England, each hit a half-century while Australia-bred Harry Manenti converted to an unbeaten 80-ball century of 114 runs to set 342-4 - the tournament’s highest score thus far - en route to a 155-run victory over Hong Kong.

This is a different Italy from the one Berg presented and lost all three matches to Uganda across three legs of the 2019-2022 CWCCL B. Italy last defeated Uganda in a cricket match on March 12, 2012.

Berg put up a man-of-match performance with figures of 4/20 in 3.4 overs which helped Italy defend a total of 131-7 to beat Uganda by 13 runs during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Qualifier in Sharjah, UAE.

Only Brian Masaba and Henry Ssenyondo remain part of Uganda’s set-up from that day and despite the changes, Waiswa trusts his teammates to deliver on the Italian job.

“It is just like any other game in this tournament, the mentality, thinking and approach remains the same going out there on the pitch with the positive mindset of winning the game and getting the points on board,” he said.

“We will go there and do what we are supposed or required of us to do to get the two points on board, we will control what we can and leave what we can’t to God or the heavens,” Waiswa added.

In part, Italy, which is also unbeaten in three matches, will be disappointed that their match against Bahrain in Lugogo yesterday was called off due to a wet outfield.

For Uganda, there is need for more glue between Robinson Obuya and any other fellow opener, either Raghav Dhawan or Brian Masaba when they face fast opening bowler Grant Steward who is a qualified civil engineer bred in New South Wales, Australia.

Still with the bat, Nakrani has come in early but he is yet to fully come to the party. With the ball, Entebbe has a turning wicket and Sharma is facing silent questions on how to accommodate veteran spinner Frank Nsubuga.  

Nsubuga, 43, is yet to play a match but his inclusion could come at the expense of probably, one of the medium pace bowlers Cosmas Kyewuta or Juma Miyagi. If done, that change must deliver in batting dividends too.

Sharma again has another selection problem of either Dhawan or Masaba. While he was unlucky with an early lbw (leg before wicket), former skipper Masaba’s leadership showed in the field as they nearly had Hong Kong within firm grip.

ICC WORLD CRICKET LEAGUE CHALLENGE LEAGUE B

WEDNESDAY FIXTURES

10am: Singapore vs. Tanzania, Lugogo

10am: Uganda vs. Italy, Entebbe

FRIDAY’S FIXTURES

10am: Bahrain vs. Tanzania, Lugogo

10am: Hong Kong vs. Singapore, Entebbe

SATURDAY’S FIXTURES

10am: Italy vs. Singapore, Lugogo

10am: Uganda vs. Bahrain, Entebbe

COLLATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Singapore 82 Uganda 86/3

(Uganda won by 7 wickets)

Bahrain 200/9 Hong Kong 201/7

(Hong Kong won by 3 wickets via DLS method)

Tanzania 173/10 Italy 169/1

(Italy won by 9 wickets via DLS method)

TABLE STANDINGS

Team                          Mat     Won    Lost     N/R     Pts       Net RR

1 Uganda                    3          2          0          1          5          3.9083

2 Italy                          2          2          0          0          4          2.7727

3 Hong Kong China    3          1          1          1          3          -1.5299

4 Bahrain                     2          1          1          0          2          0.2740

5 Singapore                 2          0          2          0          0          -1.6292

6 Tanzania                   2          0          2          0          0          -3.2239

NOTE: Table doesn’t include Tuesday’s matches

UGANDA VS. ITALY - LIMITED OVERS CRICKET

RECENT MEETINGS

2013 ICC WORLD CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION THREE

May 1, 2013: Uganda 114/9 Italy 91/10

(Uganda won by 23 runs)

2019 ICC WORLD CRICKET CHALLENGE LEAGUE B (OMAN)

Dec 9, 2019: Uganda 218/10 Italy 180/10

(Uganda won by 38 runs)

2022 ICC WORLD CRICKET CHALLENGE LEAGUE B (UGANDA)

Jun 24, 2022: Italy 120/10 Uganda 121/3

(Uganda won by 7 wickets)

2022 ICC WORLD CRICKET CHALLENGE LEAGUE B (JERSEY)

Aug 7, 2022: Italy 119/10 Uganda 122/3

(Uganda won by 7 wickets)

PROBABLE STARTING XI FOR UGANDA:

Robinson Obuya, Brian Masaba, Shrideep Mangela, Kenneth Waiswa, Riazat Ali Shah (Captain), Alpesh Ramjani, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam (Wicket-keeper), Juma Miyagi, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo 

12TH MAN: Pascal Murungi

SUBSTITUTES: Raghav Dhawan, Cosmas Kyewuta