Former Cricket Cranes captain Davis Karashani has credited national legend Samuel Walusimbi for his career at Wanderers club.
Karashani says Samuel was one of the reasons he managed to secure a spot in the club’s roster early on in his career.
By that time, Davis was still a student in high school, when he was spotted by retiring Samuel in 2001.
Talking up his experience with Kawowo Sports‘ Denis Musali, Karashani revealed how instrumental Walusimbi – ‘Uganda’s best batsman ever’ – was.
“I have been fortunate to have been part of that group of players that came through the schools cricket development programme and managed to go and represent the country at the most senior levels,” Davis said.
“For me that is something I am grateful for. It’s an honour to have served in that capacity. I went to Ntare School which I am very proud of.
“I was there for four years. Around that time, I came for an academy. During that academy I was spotted by Sam Walusimbi, who is a legend, probably one of the finest Cricketers Uganda has ever produced.
“At that time he spotted me and thought I would become an addition to the great Wanderers side. I think I was about 13 years of age at that time. He invited me to come and play at game.
He added; “My first club game for Wanderers was Sam’s last game. So there were massive steps for me to get into.
“All that especially for a kid from Ntare School. I was small. I was in S.2. For me to have been spotted by a legend like Sam, it gave a lot of Inspiration.”
Who is Samuel Walusimbi? (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Samuel Walusimbi (born 1948) is a former cricketer from Uganda.
He played three One Day Internationals (ODI) in the 1975 cricket World Cup, representing the East Africa cricket team.
Playing for East Africa, the right-hand batsman made 15 runs off 46 balls in a 181-run loss to New Zealand on June 7, 1975 in England.
Walusimbi was one of the founding members of the Wanderers Cricket Club, the second-oldest cricket club in Uganda, won the top flight cricket league in Uganda in 1993, and was part of the Nomads cricket team that toured Kenya and Uganda in 2005.
In 2007, he was the coach of the Uganda national cricket team and in 2016 he was named the Nile Special-Uganda Sports Press Association Legendary award winner.
