Ronak Patel

NEW DELHI: Brian Masaba has been named the captain of Uganda‘s 15-player squad for their inaugural appearance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Indian-origin Ronak Patel also making the cut.The Cricket Cranes will compete in Group C alongside West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Afghanistan after an impressive performance in the qualifying tournament, where they defeated Zimbabwe and other African teams. Riazat Ali Shah will serve as Masaba’s deputy, and the team features several experienced players, including 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, who will be among the oldest participants in the tournament. Nsubuga’s selection is a testament to his lifelong commitment to cricket, having first represented Uganda in ICC events as a 17-year-old in the 1997 ICC Trophy. In 2022, he made headlines with a spectacular catch near the boundary in a Cricket World Cup Challenge League match against Kenya. The squad also includes spin-bowling all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani, who was nominated for the 2023 ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. Ramjani claimed the most T20I wickets in men’s cricket last year, taking 55 wickets at an economy rate of under five runs per over. Another left-arm orthodox spinner, Henry Ssenyondo, also had a strong 2023, claiming 49 wickets during the same period. Riazat Ali Shah and Dinesh Nakrani are expected to provide firepower with the bat, while young talent Juma Miyaji brings U19 World Cup experience to the team, having played in the 2022 event in the West Indies.Although this is Uganda’s first appearance in a senior men’s World Cup, the country was represented in the 1975 Cricket World Cup through the now-defunct East Africa team, with Samuel Walusimbi being the sole Ugandan player in the squad, featuring in three matches.Uganda will begin their T20 World Cup campaign on June 3 against Afghanistan in Guyana.Uganda 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, Ronak Patel.Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya(Inputs from agencies)