Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari, President of Qatar Cricket Association QCA (centre) presenting a memento to Ugandan team manager Jackson in the presence of QCA and Uganda cricket officials during a press conference held in Doha yesterday. Picture: Abdul Basit/The
Doha: As the country celebrates the National Sport Day, fans will enjoy international cricket action in the next five days with Qatar taking on Uganda national team for a couple of one-dayers and Twenty20 each on home soil.
Qatar Cricket Association (QCA), under the Presidency of Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari has organised the series to celebrate National Sport Day while the series will also help the team to prepare for the forthcoming tour of Kuwait.
The series between Qatar and Uganda will start tomorrow with a 50-over match to be played at Asian Town Cricket Stadium, which will also host all the matches involving the touring side. After the opening match, both the teams will lock horns in a T20 match on Saturday, followed by second one-day game on February 11 with the final T20 to be played on National Sport Day on February 13.
Uganda arrived in Doha on Tuesday night and were received by top QCA officials. The visitors will start their tour with a T20 game against President XI today.
“We welcome the Uganda national team for the Bilateral Cricket Series,” President of Qatar Rugby, Hockey and Cricket Federation (QRHCF) Yousef Jeham told a press conference yesterday.
“We are looking for an exciting series and expecting a lot of fans to come to the venue to watch live action. We will do our best to host the series in a befitting manner on the occasion of National Sport Day,” he said.
The president added the series will help to prepare Qatar for the Kuwait tour where the team will feature at Asian regional qualifiers for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in April.
“Our team is working hard for the future competitions and I hope they will benefit from the series against their African counterparts,” he said.
Most of the Qatar’s players are engaged in domestic tournaments with their respective teams. Apart from that, the national team has also been undergoing extensive training sessions.
“The players are in good shape and are ready for the series,” said QCA Operations Manager Manzoor Ahmad.
“We are hoping for good results against the side which is higher in the international rankings. The series will help the team to gain confidence for Kuwait assignment,” he added.
