Brian Masaba on Uganda's 9-wicket hammering by New Zealand
15/06/2024
Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
15/06/2024
Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00🎶 Music Outro 🎶
00:30Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the post-match press conference.
00:53With me is our legendary captain from Uganda, Brian McMasava.
00:58We're sorry for the delay, a lot of niceties going around on the pitch with the New Zealanders.
01:03The floor is yours.
01:05Good evening, Brian.
01:08Good evening.
01:09Good evening, you all have been learning a lot from this tournament, being here and being part of this
01:13and having the experience of playing against some of these full member nations.
01:18What have you learned so far that you can take back and help further Ugandan cricket?
01:26It's been very eye-opening for us as a team, playing at this level for the first time
01:31against some of the full member teams.
01:35I say eye-opening because you realise the skill level is a bit different,
01:41the execution is very different and these are guys that are professional players
01:47that play all around the world, so they are very, very good players.
01:51As a player that's aspiring to get better, there's no better lesson than that to carry back home
01:57because it just shows you how much more work you need to put in to be able to come back and compete favourably.
02:03Being here itself is a massive accomplishment for Ugandan cricket,
02:08but what is the next big goal for you all?
02:12It was important for us to make it to the World Cup for the first time
02:16because now our targets are different.
02:20We want to make sure we come back again and again and that's what you want as a team
02:25because then it shows that you're growing.
02:28Going back home, the work won't stop. If anything, we'll work twice as hard
02:32to make sure that the next time we come we're a better team
02:35and we can compete a bit more with some of the big boys.
02:38That's going to be the plan going forward, not just for this playing group
02:43but for the whole cricket association back home
02:46because it's important for us to expand our pool of players
02:49just to increase the level of competitiveness in the team.
02:52It's going to be one huge effort for everyone involved.
02:57And lastly from me, you have had a decent-sized contingent of fans, of supporters
03:04who have travelled to come see you as well as some newly-found fans right here in the Caribbean.
03:09What message do you send to them as you wrap up your campaign?
03:13We're very grateful as a team to have guys get behind you
03:18whenever you play away from home. It's something we don't take for granted.
03:23But more especially to the guys that travelled a long distance to be with us here
03:29to witness Uganda play at the World Cup for the first time.
03:32We say a massive thank you to them for getting behind the team.
03:36I think you guys saw the energy and the love that they have for the team.
03:40It didn't matter whether we were playing well or not.
03:42They were always there, they always showed up for us.
03:44So we're very grateful to them.
03:47And there's also a huge number of fans back home.
03:50The timings were crazy for them.
03:53This game started at 3.30 in the morning for them.
03:57But guys stay up and follow every ball.
04:00So that's some commitment to this team.
04:03And we say thank you again to them.
04:06We appreciate the love, we feel the support
04:08and hopefully this team can continue to do well as an appreciation to them.
04:14Brian, the manager talked about speaking to the New Zealand players.
04:21I'm sure you'd have done the same with the West Indies and the other teams.
04:24How important is that aspect of it, the learning that comes between the teams?
04:29It's huge for us.
04:31Again, we're a young team, we're looking to learn as much as we can.
04:35We've got to start somewhere.
04:37For us, cricket is more than just the game.
04:41You need to try and learn as much as you can.
04:44Because the game is always changing, always evolving.
04:47So it's very important that even as players we keep learning, keep growing and keep getting better.
04:53And you can only do that if you acquire knowledge from the best in the business.
04:57The message to the boys was to speak to as many people as possible,
05:01learn as much as you can and exchange as many contacts as you can.
05:06Because you never know, one day you might be playing alongside these guys again.
05:12You've seen a lot of cricket. I think it's 60 games as captain that you've had for Uganda.
05:18Would you describe the win, the one win that you got in this tournament,
05:21as the biggest moment in your country's cricket history?
05:25I've been lucky to have been in the job for quite a while now.
05:29I've seen where this team has come from.
05:32I've seen where we started and where we've ended up.
05:36So personally, when I speak, I'm speaking from a position of knowledge.
05:41I know how far this team has come.
05:44And yes, it was very, very special for me to lead my country at the World Cup.
05:50More so to pick up a win.
05:52Yeah, definitely the highlight of my career and something that I'll hold dear to me for the rest of my life.
06:00Hi, Brian.
06:01Hi.
06:02I stand corrected, but I understand that it is the first time you're all playing under lights?
06:08Yes, competitively.
06:11We did not have those facilities back home.
06:14And we didn't get much practice under lights leading up to this World Cup.
06:18So yes, it was a whole new experience for a lot of the guys.
06:22And it does take some adjusting.
06:26But I think we got better as the tournament progressed.
06:30When we started, we were struggling to adjust, especially in the field.
06:33I think we put down seven or eight catches in our first warm-up game.
06:37But by the end of the tournament, we were holding on to quite a few.
06:41So for me, that's progress.
06:43And again, it just shows how thin the margins are.
06:48Something like that can cost you a game.
06:50So it's very important for us also going forward to make sure that the preparation is just right.
06:55And we tick all the boxes leading up to a tournament.
07:00Skip, I know that the youth teams have played in ICC tournaments, Uganda.
07:05And you are also playing here now.
07:07What is actually happening with Uganda cricket in terms of the resources provided?
07:12What's actually being done to help Uganda cricket grow?
07:16There's been a lot of good work over the last four or five years
07:19in regards to trying to make sure there's some sort of structures
07:24and some sort of stability with the national teams.
07:28It's not always been the easiest because of the lack of facilities.
07:33But you've got to find a way to work around that.
07:36You just try and do the best that you can with what you have.
07:39But considering the fact that this team has done well over the last four or five years,
07:45there's been a bit more resources coming in from the ICC as well as the private sector.
07:52And that has definitely helped in preparing the team for all these tournaments that we've played.
07:57And we can only hope that us being at the World Cup opens up more doors in that regard,
08:04especially back home with our government.
08:08Because we do need them to get a bit more involved in terms of providing the infrastructure
08:14so the game can grow a bit more.
08:16And what's the following like in the country?
08:18Because as you just spoke about the group of people that came to the West Indies to follow you guys,
08:25how is cricket going along in Uganda?
08:29How is it growing? How well is it in terms of the fans and so on?
08:34It's still a niche sport back home.
08:37The community is not as huge as, say, football or rugby.
08:41But it's growing, again, because the team has done well.
08:45So the support is growing, the community is growing.
08:48A couple of years ago at most you'd get two or three travelling fans.
08:53This time we've got a whole contingent.
08:55Again, it's small little wins that we look for.
09:00It's the positives that we can pick up.
09:02And for me that's a big sign that the game is growing.
09:05And again, the whole country got behind this team.
09:08So for me that's a good thing to see.
09:11And I believe the game is headed in the right direction.
09:16Good evening.
09:17With all the varying T20 franchises and leagues around,
09:21who from your team, based on the performances of this,
09:24will you think franchises should be looking at, should have an eye on?
09:30Straight off the bat, our two young first bowlers,
09:33I think they've impressed.
09:35And that's all we could hope for as a team.
09:38We did mention to them at the beginning of the tournament
09:40that it was a huge opportunity for them.
09:43There was a platform, a lot of eyes on this tournament.
09:46And they came out and showed that they can bowl, they can play.
09:49So hopefully a few people have taken notice
09:52and it would be great if they got opportunities
09:55because it opens up doors not just for themselves
09:58but for a couple of other guys back home as well.
10:01So very important for us that that happens.
10:05Just one for you, Brian, from the local media back home
10:08who have managed to wake up this early.
10:11Just underscore the importance of this shirt.
10:13Maybe you can show it to them on the camera.
10:16Underscore the importance of the shirt to the people back home
10:20that have followed this team and to the youngsters
10:22who you inspire whenever we go and play in our own fields.
10:28You play this game to meet great people
10:31not just on the field but off the field as well.
10:34And personally being a huge Black Cups fan
10:37to play against them, to line up against them at a World Cup
10:42it doesn't get bigger than that, it doesn't get better than that.
10:45So a very special moment for me
10:47but also a very special moment for a lot of the guys on the team
10:50meeting their idols growing up, meeting the best players in the world.
10:55You can't underestimate the kind of impact that has
10:58on an individual or on the game back home.
11:01So it's very nice of Ken to give me one of his jerseys
11:04and good on him for doing that.
11:07But the experience of mingling with the best in the world
11:11it has a rubber effect on the guys.
11:13I can guarantee you they are not going to go back home the same.
11:16The mindset has definitely changed
11:18and maybe sometimes that's all you need to become a better player.
11:22Thank you for attending our press conference.
11:25That was Brian McMasaba, a gentle giant and the leader of our generation.