Lara urges officials to jump on the Twenty20 bandwagon
By Stabroek staff | June 9, 2009 in Sports
KAMPALA, Uganda, CMC – Brian Lara has pointed Uganda’s authorities to Twenty20 cricket to help them spread the game in the north-east African nation.
The West Indies batting legend is being hosted in Uganda by the Trinidad & Tobago Embassy in association with the Uganda Cricket Association.
“Twenty20 will be beneficial to Uganda for many reasons,” said Lara to an audience of national officials and national players during a briefing session on Friday at the Serena Hotel.
“It is more entertaining and attracts more fans. It also easily attracts sponsors. I urge the local cricketers to put more emphasis into Twenty20 because it will take Uganda places on the international scene.”
Lara also spent part of the session sharing some important playing tips, lecturing the cricketers on how to build an innings, and winning the psychological battles against the opposition.
Later on Friday, Lara was the guest-of-honour at a dinner at Lugogo where he signed autographs and chatted with people from different walks of life.
He said that he was happy with the warm reception the UCA had accorded him and was looking forward to maximise the opportunity to visit the country.
“I’m anxious to tour and learn more about Uganda,” he said. “I will also contribute to the development of the game here and the whole continent. Hopefully, I can leave a lasting impression.”
Lara will spend eight days in the country and will among other things pay high-profile visits to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on Thursday and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Friday to further get the two heads-of-states to selflessly promote cricket in their respective countries.
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