Uganda Cricket Association has named a 14-man squad for the first round of the ICC Challenge League B tournament, set to take place from November 4-16 at Lugogo and Entebbe Ovals. This tournament is a big chance for Uganda, as it forms part of the qualification path to the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
Riazat Ali Shah will now lead as captain, taking over from Brian Masaba. Ali Shah is excited about this new role and confident about the team’s shared goal. “Captaincy is just an extra responsibility. We all know our roles, and our main aim is to reach One Day International (ODI) status,” he shared.
The squad has a mix of familiar names and fresh faces. Former U-19 captain Pascal Murungi returns, while newcomers Shrideep Mangela and Raghav Dhawan make their debuts. However, there were surprises: Opener Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa and Ronak Patel have been left out.
Ahead of the tournament, Uganda will play a warm-up series against Bahrain in Jinja to fine-tune their skills. In the main event, Uganda will compete against Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, Bahrain, and Tanzania, with their first match against Singapore on November 6.
Full squad: Robinson Obuya, Alpesh Ramjani, Pascal Murungi, Shrideep Mangela, Kenneth Waiswa, Raghav Dhawan, Juma Miyaji, Riazat Ali Shah (C), Henry Ssenyondo, Dinesh Nakrani, Brian Masaba, Fred Achellam, Cosmas Kyewuta and Frank Nsubuga.
Reserves: Cyrus Kakuru and Joseph Baguma.