The national senior cricket team has stepped up preparations for the East African league to be staged in Nairobi, Kenya from August 7 to 12 this year.
Skipper Hamis Abdallah told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday that the team has been training for the past few weeks to keep fit for the third edition of the league.
“We’re in god shape and have stepped up the gear to keep fit for the league. We’re ready to challenge Kenya and Uganda dominance in the regional cricket,” said Abdallah, who has served as team captain for almost a decade now.
He also said that Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) leadership was also planning to arrange friendly matches for the team ahead of the Nairobi event. The tournament will attract one team each from Tanzania and Rwanda, Uganda will field two while hosts Kenya have a home advantage to field four franchised teams.
The eight teams which will feature in the league will be divided into two groups of four teams each to play in a round robin format. Two top-placed teams from each group will qualify to play in the semi-finals depending on their group stage performance.
The league, which involves men’s teams only, used to be played by Kenyan and Ugandan teams but the latest inclusion of Tanzania and Rwanda has widened its base to eight teams. The tournament will provide a platform for the country’s players to gain experience as they will be rubbing shoulders with other formidable teams and players during the tourney.
Meanwhile, Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA) is yet to confirm its participation in the league, Rwanda media revealed yesterday. The RCA General Manager Joshua Mwanja said yesterday, “We were invited but we are still soliciting for funds. So we are yet to know whether we are sending a team to the East African cricket league or not.”
Source Tanzania Daily News
