Uganda’s junior national cricket team, the Baby Cricket Cranes, is set to embark on a defining mission in Kigali, Rwanda, as they pursue the nation’s fourth appearance at the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The 14-man squad departs tomorrow, Friday, August 7, ahead of the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier, scheduled for August 7–16, where the immediate objective is to regain Division 1 status and keep Uganda’s World Cup dream alive.
Uganda enters the tournament determined to bounce back after suffering relegation from Division 1 for the first time in the country’s history during the previous qualifiers in Lagos, Nigeria.
Rather than dwell on that disappointment, the Baby Cricket Cranes have embraced it as motivation to rebuild and return stronger, as vowed by Head Coach Grace Mutyagaba during the flag-off ceremony.
“The boys are ready for this challenge and have shown great enthusiasm throughout our preparations. We understand the importance of this tournament because Uganda wants to return to Division 1, and we are confident the boys can deliver and achieve our objective of qualification.”
Team preparations
The team has completed three intensive training camps, beginning with one in Fort Portal following last year’s Skyview Boys Schools Cricket Week, followed by further residential camps in Jinja and Kampala ahead of the Kigali assignment.
They also impressed in the High-Performance Cup Series, defeating Rwanda U-19 and the Uganda Emerging XI to scoop overall honors at the tournament and build valuable match confidence.
As the Baby Cricket Cranes head to Rwanda, the mission is straightforward: earn promotion back to Africa Division 1 and remain on course for another appearance on the global stage.
Uganda has previously qualified for the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup three times: 2004 (Dhaka, Bangladesh), 2006 (Colombo, Sri Lanka), and 2022 (West Indies).
This year’s Africa Division 2 Qualifier features hosts Rwanda alongside Nigeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Uganda, with the top two teams set to earn qualification to the final Africa Division 1 Qualifier on the road to the 2026 ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Matches will be played at the Gahanga Main Ground, Gahanga B Oval, and the IPRC Cricket Oval in Kigali. Uganda begins its campaign against Nigeria on August 9 before facing Mozambique (August 10), Ghana (August 12), Sierra Leone (August 13), and hosts Rwanda (August 15).
Team Captain Daniel Rubangakene believes Uganda’s batting depth will be one of the team’s biggest strengths in Kigali: “We have players who can bat from number one all the way to number nine, and we assure all of you that we shall fight to win every game in Kigali.”
