Newly appointed Cricket Cranes head coach Steve Tikolo says taking Uganda to the Cricket World Cup remains unfinished business as he begins his third coaching stint with the national team.
Tikolo was officially unveiled by Cricket Uganda on Friday after signing a three year contract to lead the senior men’s team. The former Kenya international returns to a side he previously served as batting coach between 2012 and 2013 and head coach from 2016 to 2019.
Speaking after his unveiling in Entebbe, Tikolo said his main ambition is to guide the Cricket Cranes to the global stage, something he feels he left incomplete during his previous tenure.
“My goal was to take the team to the World Cup, but that didn’t happen. For me, that is unfinished business with the Cricket Cranes because I played at the World Cup and I would love to take Uganda there as a coach now.”
Tikolo, who represented Kenya at five Cricket World Cups during his playing career, also pointed to securing One Day International status as another immediate target for the national team.
“I left the team in a good space, and the coaches that came in did well to take the team to the World Cup,” he added.
“I am also looking at the One Day International (ODI) status for Uganda – we have got to give it a good go. These are the immediate KPIs I have set for myself.”
His appointment follows a five month search process conducted by Cricket Uganda after the departure of former head coach Abhay Sharma in October last year. During that period, assistant coach Jackson Ogwang handled the team on an interim basis.
Tikolo now moves quickly into his first assignment, with Uganda set to travel to Windhoek for a five match tour of Namibia from March 16 to 26. The Cricket Cranes will face Namibia A in two Twenty20 matches before playing three 50 over games against Namibia and Namibia A.
The tour is expected to give the returning coach his first opportunity to assess the squad and begin shaping preparations for a busy international season.
Uganda’s key targets this year include qualification for One Day International status through the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B tournament in Dar es Salaam in August, as well as the early stages of qualification for the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled to begin with Africa sub regional qualifiers in Nigeria later this year.
