Time for Uganda to seize the day

The thrashing of Warriors by Premier in Uganda's Luswata Cup last weekend provides the perfect ammunition for the introduction of a testing, high-level three or four-day provincial competition in East Africa.

Arthur Kyobe and Lawrence Ssematimba, both making easy centuries, greatly enjoyed themselves and it was a wonderful warm-up 'net' for them at the beginning of the season; but they should not be allowed to have such free licence on a regular basis, instead they must be able to play their cricket at a higher level - as must quick bowlers Asadu and Tabby, who both bagged easy wickets for few runs.

Cup competitions always provide mismatches; and there is nothing wrong with that, as long as it is not a regular occurrence. Uganda are in the world's top 20 and the games their international players take part in need to reflect that.

Two weeks ago I advocated in a Cricinfo piece the creation of an East African provincial league, similar to Zimbabwe's Logan Cup, to allow the skilful players the region has recently thrown up to capitalise on these skills.

After the game at Kiambogo, Dennis Tabby asked: "How was my game?" He had just taken four for 18, but my reply was: "There wasn't any opposition"; and I was right.

The Uganda squad appear in cracking good form at the moment and they need all the leverage they can get. When it comes to the long game, the success of this year's Logan Cup is a sufficient blueprint; at local international level rugby's keenly contested Kenya v Uganda Elgon Cup should act as a catalyst.

For Kenya, they need to slough off the pall of mediocrity and get playing as much proper cricket as they can, and it will take leadership from Cricket Kenya and the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association to allow them to do this.

Sunday's Twenty20 washout in Nairobi - and there had been no advance notice to the public of these games taking place - crams up the final weeks of their season, which ends on April 11, before they go to Holland to meet Netherlands in Amsterdam on July 1.

For Uganda, the main season has only just started, and their talented players, both men and women, must build up the momentum for their key International Shield fixture with Namibia in September.

The future is there to be seized, so - "carpe diem" - let the players be provided with the stage on which to seize it.