'It is my wish that youngsters are groomed to take on my roles' © Cricinfo Lrd

Ronnie Kintu

Nehal Bibodi, Uganda’s opening batsman and spinner has finally called it quits from the national team after 13 years of service. The 35-year-old said he had done enough for the nation and wished youngsters would take up the mantle and keep the candle burning.

"Considering the upcoming international engagements and the World Cup qualifiers I feel I may not be material for the national squad and it is my wish that youngsters are groomed to take on my roles," Bibodi confessed.

Bibodi made his national team debut in 1993 during the East and Central Africa Cricket Championship (ECACC). He also played in the Africa Zone VI championship where he knocked his highest international score of 140 runs against Botswana in 1998.

He won three Man-of-the-Match awards in the ECACC and has consistently led the batting averages in recent times.

“Nehal has been undoubtedly an excellent experienced player with very good batting skills, good playing techniques and above all very disciplined,” Robert Kisubi, the team manager, commented. “I strongly believe he has done a service for his country.”

Ronnie Kintu

The Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has named a 22-man
squad ahead of the Kenya tour starting tomorrow at Lugogo.

National team manager Robert Kisubi announced the squad
which included recalls for Charles Lwanga and Richard Okia
alongside debutantes Henry Sebulime, Davis Arinaitwe
and Ronald Semanda.

Kisubi was optimistic that the Uganda squad with nine
of the youngsters who played at the recent Under-19 World
Cup in Sri Lanka would give Kenya a bloody nose during
the Tests.

“We have tried to give every one a chance to prove
[themselves] before the final squad is named and I am
confident all the boys have gained the exposure in the
past that could give the neighbours a perfect run for
their money,” a confident Kisubi remarked.

Uganda last played against Kenya in the ICC three-day
intercontinental match 2004-2005 losing both games.

Senior players Joel Olweny, Benjamin Musoke, Frank
Nsubuga and Kenneth Kamyuka have also been named. The UCA has also recalled
Richard Mwami as team manager while Henry Okecho is
head coach.

Squad
H. Sebulime, C. Lwanga, J. Olweny, N. Bibodi, B.
Musoke, F. Nsubuga, K. Kamyuka, K. Legesi, J.
Kwebiiha, N. Kishore, R. Otim, E. Issaneez, H. Saleh,
P. Ochan, L. Sematimba, C. Waiswa, A. Kyobe, J.
Okello, R. Ssemanda, D. Ruyange, R. Okia, D.
Arinaitwe.

Bermuda have named a 15-man squad for their short tour of England and Guernsey.

The Royal Gazette highlights the progress being made in Guernsey where over 3,000 children involved in their youth development schemes in one of the fastest-growing cricket programmes in the world

Afghanistan will tour England, playing Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire 2nd XIs during their 18-day trip which kicks-off on June 11.

"This year is very important for our cricket,” Taj Malik Alam, their coach, told the BBC. "I think it will be a turning point and if we win all the matches then we can get the attention of the international cricket community. We have a long way to go but we really want to participate in the World Cup and become one of the best teams in the world."

Gulfnews.com report that cricket in Dubai is slowly grinding to a halt, with the news that the Dubai Cricket Council (DCC) has had to vacate its premises in the Al Jadaf area after the Dubai Municipality evicted them.

"Thousands of cricket players and cricket lovers in Dubai are shocked with this cruel reality. The authorities should wake up and act in time to set up new facility before the start of next season in September," wrote one fan, outraged at the decision.

A very interesting story on Reuters about disabled cricketers in Uganda.

"When we got here, we wondered how these guys in wheelchairs were going to get down," said Andy Dalby-Welsh [one of the overseas coaches] gesturing at the entrance to the ground: a hulking, green wooden stand looming over dozens of steep, cracked concrete steps. "They just hopped out, hurtled down and beat us to it," he said. "The level of athleticism, enthusiasm and talent we've found is just incredible."

Disability in Africa has sometimes been blamed on witchcraft and sufferers are often isolated. But in a sign of positive change, South Africa will host the third blind cricket World Cup in December. Both previous tournaments - which are played by mixed teams of blind and partially sighted players using a white ball containing ball bearings to make it rattle - have been held in cricket-friendly India.

In an excellent (well, we would say that!) article, Cricinfo editor Sambit Bal has written about the claims that hosting ODIs in the USA will help promote the game there:

"Both the ICC and the West Indies Cricket Board have made pious-sounding statements about matches in the USA and Canada helping the spread of the game, and it is simply a false promise.

"A few years ago, when Jagmohan Dalmiya was taking cricket far and wide, I had felt a genuine surge of excitement. It was novel watching cricket matches in Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. Some grounds were oddly shaped, the matches were thinly attended, and there were hardly any locals. But I supported the expansionist zeal, and hoped that cricket would catch on. I was naïve, and wrong."

A Twenty20 Summer Cup organised and conducted by the Sharjah Cricket Council, will be held under floodlights at the Sharjah stadium in the first week of June.

“If the huge success of the earlier event held in October last year is any indication, we can expect a similar enthusiastic response to the tournament from players and fans,” Nasir Akram, secretary-general of the Sharjah Cricket Council said.

The Cyprus cricket league begins today in the first round match between WSBA and Sri Lanka CC at the Happy Valley grounds in Episkopi.

Michael Kyriacou, the captain of the Cyprus national team, expressed his opinion on the quality of this year’s competition, “The overall quality of the league is good. There are a number of very talented Asian players who have represented their countries in the U-19 national teams, and many of them have also played for some local clubs representing their cities. There are also many players from Australia, South Africa and England who have had tutelage by known coaches in their respective countries.”

More info at the Cyprus Mail

Roger Dill provides an inspiring story of how you can go from novice to world-class in less than a decade. This week, Dill will become the first member of the ICC's Associate and Affiliate umpires' panel to stand in a one-day international during the opening match of the tri-series between Zimbabwe, Bermuda and Canada which is being held in Trinidad.

"I started in 1997 when I went to watch a friend playing and they were short of an umpire. I was told afterwards I didn't do too badly so I went to a few meetings to learn more, I found it fun and interesting and it went from there."

Today the Great Wall, tomorrow the world. Chinese children get to grips with cricket © Cricinfo Magazine

Liu Pingping is not quite John Buchanan, at least not yet. The 47-year-old schoolteacher from Shanghai has never played cricket in his life, and is yet to even watch a match on TV. A baseball player while in college, Liu is one of the 30 former athletes from other ballgames such as baseball, and from track and field, handpicked to undergo cricket training by the Chinese Cricket Association (CCA). Liu was teaching softball to teenagers in Shanghai's No. 3 Girls Middle School when the CCA approached him.

Kwesi Sagoe has been appointed president of the Nigeria Cricket Federation:

In an acceptance speech, Sagoe said in spite of the power tussle that had engulfed the federation in the last 12 months, the body was still able to run its programme without hindrance.

“This shows that members of the board of the federation can manage successfully their differences even in crisis”, he said.

The cricket body was left without a leader after a stalemated election between Sagoe and former president Dr John Abebe.

More at The Tide Online

As Canada prepare to face Bermuda and Zimbabwe in the ICC's tri-nation tournament in Trinidad, the president of the Canadian Cricket Association has admitted to being rather jealous of the cash-rich Bermudans. And Ben Sennik has set out his vision for Canada being a Test-playing nation within a decade.

To do that, he accepts that players will need to go professional:

"We are looking at the (pro) possibility as soon as a financial base has been established. We have to get salaried players. To get to the objectives we want we have to have professional players. The first thing we have to do is set up a strong financial base."

MCC is recruiting two young cricketers from Afghanistan. Their talent was spotted when they played key roles in steering their country to its 171-run victory over the Club in the historic MCC v Afghanistan match, played in late March, in Mumbai.

Mohammed Nabi hit an undefeated century – 116 not out – against the MCC attack, while Hamid Hassan impressed MCC’s batsmen (who included Mike Gatting) with the skill, aggression and pace of his bowling. Mohammed and Hamid will join MCC in mid-season and then play for the Club in another landmark match – the first-ever MCC v. Europe match – in the Netherlands in June.

They will subsequently join the ranks of the MCC Young Cricketers at Lord’s and receive expert guidance from the Club’s coaching staff, which is headed by Clive Radley

Rod Gilmour looks back at the inugural Bermuda World Classic 20-20, which was, he says, a great success.

As Ian Healy told him:

"The camaraderie between the players has been unbelievable all week - a chance to catch up with everyone. The tournament was a success before it even started I think. There has been so much effort on the players to be here and it is probably something we should be doing more of - I think that is the reason why we are all here really."

Click here for a report on the final in which South Africa thumped the hosts.