USACA to make final decision on touring Uganda this week

A final decision on whether a USA squad will tour Uganda in October for the ICC WCL Division Three tournament is expected to be taken this week at a USA Cricket Association board meeting. The board held discussions this past week on the matter but delayed making a final call pending a review of an ICC security assessment report.

"Most members of the board, they want to send a team because they feel the team is strong enough to move up into Division Two," a source present at the meeting told ESPNcricinfo. "Based on the conversations, more than 50% felt that if we can get security guarantees, then we should go."

USACA is apparently not alone in its hesitation to tour. According to sources, the Bermuda Cricket Board expressed similar concerns to the ICC based on a US State Department advisory issued in February, which rates Uganda as a "high threat for terrorism". While the majority of the USACA board was in favor of sending a team to Uganda for the six-team tournament starting on October 26, several key members of the board were in opposition.

Among those with the most reservations about the tour are president Gladstone Dainty, vice president Rafey Syed and treasurer John Thickett. The USACA discussions were spurred by Thickett's email to the board on August 19 that highlighted the US State Department's current travel advisory for Uganda.

The other teams scheduled to take part in WCL Division Three are Nepal, Malaysia and Singapore. The two top will gain promotion to WCL Division Two, which will take place next January in Namibia.