- Game 1: Uganda v Tanzania
- Time: 10:00 am, EAT
- Ground: Wanderers Cricket Ground
Cricket Cranes will start their World Cup Qualification campaign against their East African rivals Tanzania in Namibia.
The two sides have met quite often in recent times but recent bias will favour the Cricket Cranes in terms of wins.
Uganda dropped a game against the Tanzanians at the second edition of the EA T20 Cup in Kigali this year.
Cricket Cranes arrived in Windhoek in high spirits after winning five T20 warm-up games in Zimbabwe where they played against Takashinga and Zimbabwe U-25. It was a good series for the Cricket Cranes with a lot of players putting their hands up for selection.
Robinson Obuya was the most impressive with the bat and he gives the technical team options at the top of the order. Simon Ssesazi took the gloves in as many as half the games on the tour which means they are thinking of leaving out the regular keeper Cyrus Kakuru to make room for an extra all-rounder.
Bilal Hassun ensured he was in the starting XI with some brilliant spells at the front and back end of the games. There is competition for the slow bowling options with Henry Ssenyondo, Frank Nsubuga and Alpesh Ramjani fighting for a place with team Captain Brian Masaba looking like the other slow bowling option.
The Cricket Cranes have added some steel to their technical bench with the addition of former Namibia Captain Craig Williams as a consultant. His knowledge and experience in the desert conditions should help Jackson Ogwang and the rest of his team to find a way of being among the two sides that move on to the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The game will have a live stream on ICC TV.
