By Norman Katende

NATIONAL cricket coach Martin Suji is confident that Uganda will put up a great challenge in Dubai, when the team start playing their international friendlies over the weekend. The national team departs today for a one-week international build-up in the United Arab Emirates.

Uganda has always lost to UAE whenever the two countries have met, and the tour will offer them an opportunity to make amends.

Though the games schedule is yet to be released, Suji, who has boosted his team with three new faces, two of them professionals playing in South Africa (Khaalid Moothosamy) and United Kingdom (Shaaiq Choudry), believes that he has a team that is able to change Uganda’s poor run. 

The international friendly is aimed at helping Uganda prepare for next month’s Africa T-20 and the Pepsi ICC Division III World Cricket league due in Bermuda in May.

“We are blessed that we will be having a good competition for places on our team. These new faces are Ugandans who have always wanted to play for their country and the opportunity has come for them to do so,” Suji said on Wednesday.

He was impressed by the new inclusion in training and was looking forward to even have a great team bonding with the players.

“The way they are looking, they will perfectly fit in the team,” he added.

Uganda Cricket Association boss Justine Ligyalingi said that they have decided to bringing in the cricketers as a way of inspiring the team.

“Well they team will be able to step up their game as they will be having good players, but they will also have a chance join the bigger clubs outside Uganda. What we needed is a link and we are having it through these Ugandans,” he noted.