'Done wonders for us back home, laid a platform' - Uganda captain Brian Masaba reacts to maiden World Cup campaign

Uganda’s journey to the T20 World Cup 2024 wasn’t easy and most importantly, they qualified against all the odds. Zimbabwe were the favourites to progress but the Brian Masaba-led side stunned them in the Qualifiers and made it to the global tournament. They faced embarrassment multiple times but picked up their maiden World Cup win against Papua New Guinea on June 6 in Guyana.

New Zealand feasted on depleted Uganda in their final league game but Masaba wasn’t too disappointed. He thanked New Zealand and the other teams for sharing their experience with a growing cricketing nation and added that it would give all the players a lot of belief to get better. The 32-year-old added that it has been a wonderful experience for them to compete at the highest level and believes the campaign would inspire other young cricketers back in Uganda.

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“Has been a wonderful experience to play at this level. A high-performance environment in this tournament. It's done wonders for us back home, laid a platform. Have tried to interact with the players and tried to pick their brains. We have been looking forward to what happens next and helps us get better. I have to say thanks to all teams, they have been happy to share their experience, they have tried to help us wherever they can. It's been nice to see the boys in the field, the young fast bowlers have inspired guys back home,” Masaba said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

The skipper mentioned that the players come from a very humble background and it was a humbling experience for them and thanked the local West Indies fans for their support in the tournament.

“They come from a humble background, for me it has been a humbling experience. They love us here, we love them back. Very happy that WI spectators have been really receptive of our team,” Masaba concluded.

Uganda registered the second-lowest total in the T20 World Cup against New Zealand. They posted 40 runs in the first innings and the Kane Williamson-led side chased it down in 5.2 overs.