- ICC Trophy 2001 – Canada
- Uganda 223/8 beat Malaysia 159 all out by 64 runs
- Full Scorecard: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-trophy-2001-61178/malaysia-vs-uganda-66801/live-cricket-score
In 2001, Uganda featured at the ICC Trophy for the first time as an associate team.
To connect backwards, Uganda used to compete as part of the East and Central Zone that featured the best talent from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. Therefore, only one or two players would get the opportunity at international cricket, with the zonal side mostly dominated by Kenyan players. Their appearance at the 1975 World Cup in England gave the opportunity to Sam Walusimbi, alongside the late John Nagenda.
However, in 2001, a rare opportunity availed itself for a talented generation of Ugandan cricketers who, for a long time, had never had a crack as a unit at an ICC event, even if they had played as Uganda in non-ICC events.
The side was stacked with experienced players led by John Lubia alongside the likes of Richard Mwami, and Henry Okecho, but with the youth of Junior Kwebiiha, Lawrence Ssematimba, Frank Nsubuga, Joel Olweny, Keith Legesi, Richard Okia and Kenneth Kamyuka.
The late Charles Lwanga, Simon Nsubuga, Benjamin Musoke and Tendo Mbazzi had been around the set-up and knew how to deliver.
A win against a richly talented Irish team in the warm-up games was a signal of things to come, but it’s in the game against Malaysia that a certain Uganda became a favourite for the West Indian community in Toronto, Canada.
Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first. A minimal top order contribution in collaboration with a middle order collapse, left Uganda railing at 99/8. Richard Mwami, playing a lone ranger inning, was joined by 18-year-old Kenneth Kamyuka.
Kamyuka was known for his reputation of hitting the ball very, very far, but his partner asked him to play with caution so that they could score at least 130 in their quota of 50 overs.
“I was mainly picked as a bowler, but loved hitting the ball far. I had been sitting on the bench watching us collapse despite a good start, and that upset me because I felt let down as a bowler; we wouldn’t have enough to bowl at,” says Kamyuka.
“When I joined Mwami, he told me to be cautious, but I reminded him that Malaysia had been so good in their warm-ups and anything less than 250 wasn’t going to bother them. We agreed to disagree that I would be cautious, but deep down, I had made up my mind to go big or go home.
“I struggled against the first 3 balls, but once I saw some air on the fourth, I lost the first ball from that carnage. Mwami told me please calm down, let’s hang around but I had made my mind that anything in my zone is going,” Kamyuka recalls.
If a team is eight wickets down, usually the assumption is that the tail enders will enjoy a few hits but can’t sustain the hitting, so Malaysia still felt they were in the game even after a couple of hits from Kamyuka.
“I joined Mwami when he had 15 runs, and he finished on 21, so he added just six runs while we were together, but most importantly, he stayed with me for 17 overs for us to get to that total.
“I wouldn’t have gotten that century if it weren’t for him. On the final ball, there was just the one run since I hit the ball down the ground trying to dig out a yorker, but while passing each other, Mwami was committed to the double, and despite my resistance, he ran and came back to the danger end, puts in a dive to bring up my century.
“I would have been happy with 99 not out since I knew we had a decent total for us to defend with the kind of bowling line-up we had.”
Kenneth Kamyuka announced himself on the global stage with a swashbuckling 100 not out off 54 balls littered with eight maximums and four boundaries. The century was celebrated even in Kampala despite the lack of real-time ICC TV visuals.
I remember the prince of Malaysia greeting me after the game for my performance and the late AK Lutaaya plus my manager Raju gave me some nice dollars and as an 18-yea-old, I wasn’t very smart with money so I just took the boys out that night and we had a great time.
Kenneth Kamyuka, former Cricket Cranes all rounder
Uganda went on to finish unbeaten in the group, picking up wins against France, East Africa Combined team, Israel and Argentina, but fell to the UAE in the next round.
Canada will always be remembered for that knock from a number 10 that left a stain in so many people’s memories and also announced the arrival of a future superstar.
Uganda has since played at a World Cup in 2024 in the West Indies, but the journey for the Cricket Cranes on that path started in 2001 in Canada, when a group of talented players made sure that the country got noticed.
