Uganda cricket team’s journey from slums of Kampala to T20 World Cup

Several players of the Ugandan cricket team have made a long journey from the dirt roads of Kampala to the T20 World Cup 2024.

About 60 percent of the population in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, lives in slums. Fast bowler Juma Miyagi is an inspiration to youth living in the tightly packed areas. Because of them, the people here who are very fond of football, now watch cricket with interest and the debut of the Ugandan cricket team in the T20 World Cup is no less than a dream for them.

Miyagi grew up in the Naguru Jagi shacks on the outskirts of Kampala. After playing for Uganda’s under-19 team for two years, he will now take charge of the senior team’s bowling in the T20 World Cup in West Indies and America from June 1. Uganda qualified for the Cricket World Cup for the first time in November last year.

Miyagi has taken 34 wickets in 21 T20 matches so far. He grew up in slums and still lives there with his family. T20 World Cup participant Simon Ssesazi also hail from slums that do not have clean drinking water, sewage system and health facilities.

The story of thier struggles has also impressed Uganda’s Indian coach Abhay Sharma. It’s not that Sharma has never seen a slum, but Kampala’s slums are different from Mumbai’s Dharavi. After spending time with the players, Sharma’s respect for them increased manifold.