Cricket Cranes in Pearl of Africa Series test ahead of T20 Qualifiers

• Tournament: Pearl of Africa Series
• Teams: Uganda, Kenya, Namibia A, UAE
• Dates: July 17th – 28th
• Venue: Entebbe Cricket Oval

The Cricket Cranes are chasing World Cup glory, and as part of their preparations for the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in September, they will host three teams in a four-nation tournament.

The Pearl of Africa series will be hosted at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe from July 17th – 27th and will feature UAE, Namibia A, Kenya, and hosts Uganda.

Uganda is chasing its second World Cup appearance after a maiden appearance at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. The Qualifiers will be held in Zimbabwe in September, and Uganda will have to get out of Group B as one of the top 2 before playing the semifinals and a final. The two teams in the final earn the right to represent Uganda at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India/Sri Lanka.

The Pearl of Africa series will be an opportunity for the Cricket Cranes to test themselves against strong opposition, and it also marks a return to international cricket since the second round of the Challenge League in Hong Kong. The series also gives the players a chance to fight for places in the final 14 for the qualifiers.

The series will also have T20i status; therefore, there will be ranking points to be earned if you can beat a team that is ranked higher than you.

Kenya will be the lowest-ranked side at 33rd, while Uganda is ranked 23rd in the world, and the UAE is ranked 14th in the world. The games against Namibia A will not have T20i status.