T20 World Cup 2024: Uganda World Cup squad announced, top two T20I wicket-takers of 2023 included

Uganda, on Monday (May 6), announced their squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024. It will be a historic occasion for Uganda as they will be participating in the tournament for the very first time.

They qualified for the marquee event after finishing second in the Africa Qualifier. Brian Masaba will lead the 15-member Uganda squad in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played from June 1 to 29 in the United States of America and the Caribbeans.

Masaba has played 59 T20Is so far and has a brilliant economy rate of 5.30. Riazat Ali Shah has been named as Masaba's deputy for the tournament. The African country has a number of experienced players in the squad including 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, who will be one of the oldest players in the T20 World Cup this year.

Nsubuga has been associated with Ugandan cricket since the 1990s. He first represented Uganda in ICC events as a 17-year-old in the 1997 ICC Trophy, a qualifying event for the 1999 World Cup. He had represented the East and Central Africa cricket team in that competition. 27 years later, he is set to be a member of the Uganda squad that will represent the country for the first time in the ICC T20 World Cup.

Uganda squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2024:

Another notable inclusion in the Uganda squad is spin bowling allrounder Alpesh Ramjani. 29-year-old Ramjani caught a lot of attention after being nominated for 2023 ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. So far, he has played 39 T20Is and has picked up an impressive 70 wickets in addition to scoring 569 runs including two half-centuries.

He was the highest wicket-taker in men's T20Is last year. The left-arm spinner had picked up an impressive 55 wickets at an economy of 4.77. No other bowler in the world had managed to reach the 50-wicket mark in T20Is last year. The second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is last year was Henry Ssenyondo and the left-arm spinner is also a part of the Uganda squad. Ssenyondo had taken 49 T20I wickets last year.

Uganda are in Group C alongside co-hosts and two-time winners West Indies, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Afghanistan. They will open their campaign on June 3 against Afghanistan in Guyana.

Uganda Squad:

Brian Masaba (c), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah (vc), Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel.

Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya