It may not have stolen headlines in the last week or so, but a dedicated contributor to cricket in the Associate world is moving on. Andy Bichel, the former Australia fast bowler, stepped down after two years in a coaching and development role as Papua New Guinea's director of cricket. PNG still has some way to go before joining Ireland and Afghanistan in the top class of Associate teams, but Bichel feels proud of the steps taken in his time at the helm to lift up the standard of cricket in the island nation.

"For Papua New Guinea, when I first went there, getting 30 and two wickets and a catch, that was player of the match," Bichel told ESPNcricinfo. "That's the challenge, to create a performance-based environment because I can't have a whole team of people who get 30 and two wickets and a catch because that just doesn't happen. It doesn't win you a game of cricket. If they get five wickets and a 100, all of a sudden you start to win games of cricket."

At the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland, PNG captain Christopher Kent showed just how much Bichel's presence had changed the country's approach to cricket. In PNG's seventh match of the tournament, Canada batsman Nitish Kumar scored 150 in a total of 261 for 9 for his side. Kumar's innings was the highest score of the tournament for a few hours before Kent eclipsed it with 166 not out, taking PNG to a four-wicket win.

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Kenya's rebel players shut out

The eight cricketers who refused contracts offered by Cricket Kenya now face a bleak future in the game after the board refused to meet with them, and then their local franchises unanimously decided not to pick them again this season.

Cricinfo

25-Feb-2013

ESPNcricinfo found out that while the group publicly objected to new-style contracts, they were also trying to force the board to reinstate several of those dumped after the shambolic World Cup earlier this year. They objected to the new deals which partially depended on their on-field performances, and when it became clear the board would not back down, they changed their demands to that of wanting more pay.

But while in the past such tactics usually resulted in a climb-down by the board, this time the nine were outflanked. When the players refused to meet with board officials last weekend and then staged a last-minute boycott of the national league matches, the board offered contracts to up-and-coming players instead.

Faced with that, it seems the players subsequently offered to meet with the board, but that was declined.

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Dainty again in the spotlight as US unrest grows

The rumbling discontent within US cricket about the way the USA Cricket Association is being run continues to grow with reports that a number of its board members are at odds with Gladstone Dainty, USACA's president, over the way he is operating.

Cricinfo

25-Feb-2013

Dainty has been a controversial figure for a number of years, and it was on his watch that the USA was twice suspended from international cricket because of what the then ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed labelled its "dysfunctional" operation.

Through active and crafty politicking Dainty has managed to remain in office when his track record would have appeared to have fatally damaged his standing. He has often relied on a small group of associates on the USACA board to support him, but now he is again under attack.

Critics point out that Dainty has failed to hold a face-to-face board meeting since November 2010. Since then, Don Lockerbie, the CEO, has been removed from office and in eight months a replacement has not been sought. Dainty, it is argued, has made no attempt to encourage the search for a new CEO, surprisingly at a time when USACA is seeking to attract lucrative commercial deals and real funding, not to mention the rebuilding of a very tarnished image in the domestic and international cricketing communities. The argument is that the lack of a successor for Lockerbie allows Dainty to proceed unchecked.

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Namibia blend youth and experience for Ireland match

Liam Brickhill

25-Feb-2013

Namibia have named a squad with a good blend of youth and experience for their Intercontinental Cup fixture against Ireland in Belfast from September 6, with several teenagers in a group led by Craig Williams. The match was originally scheduled for early July but was postponed because the Namibia players were facing issues getting their visas.

Namibia squad: Craig Williams (captain), Raymond van Schoor, Chris Coombe, Gerrie Snyman, Stephen Baard, Andre Englebrecht, Merwe Erasmus, Pieter Rossouw, Louis Klazinga, Stephanus Ackerman, Louis van der Westhuizen, Christoffel Viljoen, Pikky Ya France

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No turning back for Kenya

That a handful of Kenya's cricketers have again decided they are in a strong enough position to try to play hardball with Cricket Kenya is a masterclass in self-delusion and bad timing.

Cricinfo

25-Feb-2013

That a handful of Kenya's cricketers have again decided they are in a strong enough position to try to play hardball with Cricket Kenya is a masterclass in self-delusion and bad timing.

For a number of years Kenya's cricketers have been Associate cricket's most pampered professionals, while their performances and, in some cases, their commitment have been increasingly woeful. Strikes, boycotts of training, and internal bickering dominate the headlines more than anything achieved on the pitch. The nadir came at the World Cup earlier this year, when they were abject on the field and a shambles off it.

The board finally decided enough was enough and sent out the message that things would have to change. Top-to-bottom reform of the game's structure was undertaken, and the old guard in the squad was culled. The players expected to form the nucleus of the team going forward were offered new deals, but ones that meant they were more accountable. The clear message was that the old days, where the role for some was a virtual sinecure, were over. It is worth flagging at this point that Kenya's cricketers have been well rewarded, in terms of salaries and benefits, in recent years, and in comparison with the national average wage, their pay is good.

This new approach appears lost on some. Undoubtedly they are being advised - perhaps manipulated might be more accurate in certain instances - by people with agendas against the board, but only the most blinkered of them can think they have a morally defensible case.

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Kenya forced to name weakened squad

Cricket Kenya has been forced to name a weakened squad to take on Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and the subsequent ODI series

Cricinfo

25-Feb-2013

Cricket Kenya has been forced to name a weakened squad to take on Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and the subsequent ODI series. The four-day match starts in Deventer on September 7.

Several players continue to be in dispute with the board, and a decision was taken to exclude them from consideration.

Click here for the full story

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Canada lose their CEO

Chandra Gocool has stepped down after two years as Cricket Canada’s chief executive after the board decided not to renew his contract.

Cricinfo

25-Feb-2013

Chandra Gocool has stepped down after two years as Cricket Canada’s chief executive after the board decided not to renew his contract.

The board has been blighted by constant internal bickering in recent times, and it is uncertain when a replacement will be identified.

“My contract with Cricket Canada has ended,” Gocool said. “It’s now over to the Cricket Canada's leadership to take the steps they feel might be necessary to move the various opportunities forward.”

This means that both Cricket Canada and the USA Cricket Association, two of the biggest Associates, are now without chief executives. Don Lockerbie, the USACA’s high-profile CEO, was removed at the start of the year and no steps appear to have been taken to try to replace him.

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Two more Maryland counties add cricket

This week, PE teachers in Baltimore and Wicomico (Maryland) counties attended cricket training sessions in preparation for the start of the new school year

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

This week, PE teachers in Baltimore and Wicomico (Maryland) counties attended cricket training sessions in preparation for the start of the new school year. During the sessions they learned the history and rules of the game, and then got a chance to play an informal game against each other. At the conclusion of the session, teachers were given USYCA cricket sets and printed material supplied by the International Cricket Council.

"As the new supervisor for physical education and originating from Newcastle, England, I wanted to bring a new, engaging activity from my homeland to my teachers that they could easily integrate into their strike and field unit for the upcoming school year," said Michael Charlton of Wicomico County Public Schools.

"The session was highly interactive, energetic and the feedback I received from my teachers was extremely positive. I would like to personally thank the (United States) Youth Cricket Association for a fantastic in-service that delivered relevant and rigorous instructional techniques that can be utilised throughout the elementary and middle level, " Charlton said.

The Baltimore and Wicomico school systems join Howard, Carroll, Prince George's, Queen Anne's and Kent counties, along with some schools in Baltimore City, in offering cricket to Maryland physical education students.

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PNG and Fiji going for gold

Fiji and PNG have each booked a place in Friday's gold medal match after wins over Vanuatu and New Caledonia respectively at the Pacific Games Cricket Competition in Noumea.

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013