Ssematimba, Ziraba dropped for SA tour

Sep 18, 2013

WICKETKEEPER and experienced batsman Lawrence Ssematimba is among the players that have been dropped for the tour to South Africa

By Norman Katende

WICKETKEEPER and experienced batsman Lawrence Ssematimba is among the players that have been dropped for the tour to South Africa for a series of build-up games against select sides. 

Ssematimba, Deusdedit Muhumuza, Arthur Ziraba and Benjamin Musoke are some of the regulars that are missing on the squad. Youngster Philemon Mukobe who turns out for Wanderers on the domestic will be on glove duty in Ssematimba's absence.

Ssematimba was dropped from the list of 14 players that were released by the Uganda Cricket association on Wednesday morning, though no explanation could easily be got from the technical team.

Though the dropping of Benjamin Musoke in understandable, having retired from the shortest format of the game after the Africa T-20 championships, Ssematimba’s exclusion is a result of his poor form with the bat new national coach Johan Rudolph tries to build a new team that will be able to challenge the world.

Ziraba has also been struggling for form with the bat while Muhumuza has failed to impress with the ball.

“He has been playing in the national league but for the reason to why he was dropped, I can’t say anything. It is the coach who knows better as he is the technical expert,” said the association administrative officer Martin Ondeko, who released the list 14 departing Friday for the 10-day trip. 

Rudolph promised to work on the team’s batting after only Humphrey Kayondo and Arthur Kyobe managed to average 50 runs in the East Africa Cup that ended a fortnight ago, and said that he will not be scared of trying new faces if he felt they were best suited to delivering Uganda to greater heights.

The tour is aimed at helping the national team prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers that are due November in UAE and the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in New Zealand in January 2014. 

SQUAD: Davis Karashani*, Frank Nsubuga, Roger Mukasa, Arthur Kyobe, Jonathan Ssebanja, Charles Waiswa, Brian Masaba, Philemon Mukobe, Patrick Ochan, Henry Ssenyondo, Arnold Otwani, Richard Okia, Raymond Otim, Ham Bagenda Kayondo.

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