It is business unusual at the Lugogo based Uganda Cricket Association offices as the body braces to welcome its most important visitor in the country.
The International Cricket Council C.E.O Dave Richardson will make a courtesy stop in Uganda on Thursday October 26 on his way to Rwanda where he will be among the chief guests at the Inauguration of the Gahanga Cricket Stadium two days later.
The two-day visit is a priceless opportunity for a country that has made remarkable strides in developing the bats and wickets sport locally and in the region.
During his brief stay, Richardson in the company of the sport’s Global Development Manager, William Glenwright and Africa’s regional Manager, Patricia Kambarami will among other things meet top government officials and Uganda cricket association partners to discuss ways of growing the sport.
The chief executive officer of the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) Justine Ligyalingi said their institution is elated by the visit.
He said: “We are honored to host the ICC boss for the first time, this is a testimony of the strides we have achieved in growing the sport. During our meeting with Dave and his delegation, we intend to discuss ways of improving the government’s relations with the ICC, and also ways we can get government to increase its funding to cricket among others things.”
According to the UCA chairman Bashir ‘Badu’ Ansasira, Dave’s visit will give Uganda a direct access to the top most office in the sport globally.
“We shall have a short time with him but we intend to make full use of it. He will get an insight into how we run the sport here and advise accordingly, but most importantly his visit will give us a direct line to the International Cricket Council,” Ansasira said.
The visit comes at the back of the successful ICC world cricket league (Division Three) that Uganda hosted in May.
From here, the cricket council boss will proceed to Gahanga, a suburb of the Rwandan capital Kigali where he will preside over the inauguration of the state of the art Gahanga Cricket Stadium, the first international cricket facility of a kind in the region.
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