Miyaji, Lutaaya in as Mukasa misses Cricket Cranes tour to Namibia

Cricket Cranes being flagged off by NCS's Katende Ssemakula (left) (UCA Twitter)

CRICKET Miyaji, Lutaaya in as Mukasa misses Cricket Cranes tour to Namibia

Peter Tabu • 14:52 - 03.07.2023

The 14-man squad, confirmed by the Uganda Cricket Association on Monday afternoon, has a few changes from the previous one, which won the Champions T20 Cup in Kenya.

The Cricket Cranes are again back on the road, this time to Namibia, ahead of the Castle Lite series.

The 14-man squad, confirmed by the Uganda Cricket Association on Monday afternoon, has a few changes from the previous one, which won the Champions T20 Cup in Kenya.

Veteran batsman Roger Mukasa misses out due to injury, and bowler Siraje Nsubuga has been replaced by Juma Miyagi, who has recovered from injury.

Also back on the team is batsman Ronald Lutaaya who missed the Kenya trip due to exams; alongside Alpesh Ramjani and Robinson Obuya, they will be making their first visit to Namibia with the Cricket Cranes squad.

Head coach Laurence Mahatlane stresses that the aim of mixing up the squad is to ensure all the players remain competitive ahead of the T20 World Cup qualifiers in November.

"Of the three trips we have been to Namibia, this is the best we have prepared in terms of being competitive; they (Namibia) have also prepared, so it's going to be good to see how both teams have prepared," he said.

"With Roger Mukasa out, Lutaaya gets another chance while Miyagi, who got an extended rest, also returns."

"So it's important to mix it up as we build depth and keep players competitive to ensure everyone is ready for November," Mahatlane added.

The Cricket Cranes have struggled for form in the past two editions of the Castle Lite series, losing all five games in the first edition while they only picked up two wins and a draw in as many games in 2022.

The Namibia Castle Lite series will run from the 4th to the 13th of July 2023, featuring four T20i and 2 ODI matches between the two countries.

The Squad

Brain Masaba ©, Kenneth Waiswa, Juma Miyagi, Ronald Lutaaya, Simon Ssesazi, Obuya Robinson, Dinesh Nakrani, Alpesh Ramjani, Riazat Ali Shah, Henry Ssenyondo, Cyrus Kakuru, Frank Nsubuga.

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