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T20 Cricket World Cup Titbits Eight
Breakfast is served. PHOTO/INNOCENT NDAWULA
What you need to know:
The only thing lacking is the variety-less breakfast!
One Man, One Suite
Playing in the World Cup is a memory that will live with each of the 29 members of the official Ugandan contingent. From the Hilton Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago to the Pegasus Suites in Georgetown, Guyana, the Cricket Cranes are living large. Chauffeured to stadia and guarded like royals, the team is experiencing VIP treatment daily. When the team first checked in at the Hilton, they eagerly asked who their roommates would be, only for manager Charles Waiswa to inform them that everyone would have their own room. In Guyana, the accommodation was even better, with each member receiving a suite spacious enough for a family of four. The only thing lacking is the variety-less breakfast!
Muted or Unmuted Joy?
When the Cricket Cranes defeated Papua New Guinea for a record-breaking first victory in the second match of their maiden campaign, the tension was palpable. The Ugandan dugout was abandoned by the dismissed players, who watched stealthily from the staircase. As the required runs dwindled to single digits, they gradually resurfaced. The TV crew quietly asked if they planned to run onto the pitch and celebrate, to which they responded, no! However, after the victory and the gentlemanly handshakes and commiserations with the losing team, the real celebration began. The Cranes moved closer to the grass bunks where the Ugandan traveling fans were stationed, screamed victory chants, and then erupted into song and dance. So, who fooled who?
The legend of Nsubuga
Three steps, a slight jump, a roll of the arms, front toe pointing towards the batter, and a release point slightly away from his ears. Frank Nsubuga, the 43-year-old offspinner, has bowled with the same action for 27 years. This action gave him a dream start to the T20 World Cup 2024. Nsubuga bowled the most economical spell in T20 World Cup history, with figures of 4-2-4-2, spurring Uganda to victory. "I think the action is still the same," Nsubuga said. "That's how I started. I haven't changed my action. I have seen so many coaches, but they haven't changed me.” For a man who has been playing longer than some of the current squad members have been alive, calling him a legend is certainly fitting!
