Beyond the Test World
Kenya cricket in the wild
Dates for the second Ol Pejeta "Cricket in the Wild" tournament in Kenya have been confirmed - the competition will begin on Friday September 28
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
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Dates for the second Ol Pejeta "Cricket in the Wild" tournament in Kenya have been confirmed - the competition will begin on Friday September 28.
The three-day event is designed to raise funds to support the Ol Pejeta Conservancy - a 90,000 acre wildlife park at the foothills of Mount Kenya - which, it is hoped, will help with the development of schools and other local facilities.
Each of the eight teams, split into two leagues, is required to raise a minimum of KSh200,000 (USD 2900) - usually by sponsorship - to secure their place in the tournament. The cricket itself will be 10:10 (10 overs per side) with eight-ball overs.
Full postCricket around the world
The 2007 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was published this week, and in it Tony Munro takes a look at life beyond the Test world .
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The 2007 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was published this week, and in it Tony Munro takes a look at life beyond the Test world.
Four new countries – Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Tonga and Swaziland – are included in this year’s Cricket Round the World section. This takes the total of countries, regions and territories featured since the feature began in Wisden 1993 to 107.
Full postPhuket International Cricket Sixes set to go
Organisers of the 4th annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes tournament, which takes place at Karon Stadium, Phuket from April 19 to 22, have confirmed that the financial services group Montpelier have signed as title sponsors of the event.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Organisers of the 4th annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes tournament, which takes place at Karon Stadium, Phuket from April 19 to 22, have confirmed that the financial services group Montpelier have signed as title sponsors of the event.
Over 20 teams from around the world will take part - entry for spectators is free and food and refreshments are available at the ground.
A Twenty20 Charity Fundraising match, featuring all the best players taking part, will be held on the evening of Saturday April 21 from 6.30pm. All the proceeds from the match will be donated to a local children's charity, Childwatch.
Full postTanzania head to India
Tanzania’s national cricket team are off to India for a 20-day training spell to prepare for the ICC’s World Cricket League Division Three which will take place in Australia in May.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Tanzania’s national cricket team are off to India for a 20-day training spell to prepare for the ICC’s World Cricket League Division Three which will take place in Australia in May.
Full postNepal win women's cricket award
Nepal have been recognised for their commitment to women’s cricket with an award for Best Women’s Cricket Initiative in the ICC Development Awards
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Nepal have been recognised for their commitment to women’s cricket with an award for Best Women’s Cricket Initiative in the ICC Development Awards. Nepal will receive US$ 2,000 worth of Kookaburra equipment.
The nomination came after Nepal won the ACC Development Award for the same programme in February. Rebecca Alwaya won the Volunteer of the Year Award for her outstanding contribution to the game in Uganda.
Nepal are set to take part in the inaugural Asian Cricket Council women's cricket tournament, which is being held in Malaysia in July.
Full postLess is more
Martin Williamson, Cricinfo's managing editor, looks at the performances of the Associates in the World Cup so far.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Martin Williamson, Cricinfo's managing editor, looks at the performances of the Associates in the World Cup so far.
So the first stage of the World Cup is over, although the wholesale elimination of the so-called minnows, which the format was designed to ensure, has not happened. If you include Bangladesh with the Associates in the minnow category, they have bloodied two of the most important noses in the world game.
The appearance of Bangladesh in the second round is a real a success for the expansion of the game and a most welcome reward for their cricket-mad public. That it came at the expense of neighbours India was a bonus for them, even if it devastated the hoards of commercial men that increasingly dictate the running of the game. The other surprise package, Ireland, secured their own place by beating a shambolic Pakistan side; in fairness, their tie with Zimbabwe, while a great result for them and the tournament, was not a seismic shock, so far have the Zimbabweans fallen in recent years.
Read the article in full, then leave your comments below.
Full postTikolo bats on despite father's death
While Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, was single handedly holding up England's march to victory, with a resolute 76, he was unaware that his father had died
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
While Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, was single handedly holding up England's march to victory, with a resolute 76, he was unaware that his father had died. Tom, Steve's brother and the current chief executive of Cricket Kenya, withheld the news from his younger sibling "because if it had got out, Steve would have been unable to concentrate" on his batting and captaincy.
Mzee Rueben Tikolo died at his home, in Eshirotsa Eshirumbe, aged 72.
Full postChina outplays Taiwan
The USA’s ABC News reports how China has used the World Cup to score diplomatic points over rivals Taiwan
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The USA’s ABC News reports how China has used the World Cup to score diplomatic points over rivals Taiwan. The Chinese involvement in building various stadia in the Caribbean has been well documented, but it appears the knock-on effect has been more wide reaching:
China gave Antigua a $55 million grant to build the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. It gave $30 million to Jamaica for a new Trelawny stadium. St. Lucia has both a cricket and a football stadium courtesy of Beijing. The 70,000 people of Dominica have received the aid equivalent of $1,600 per person in the form of a cricket grounds, new drains for the capital and better roads.
The immediate reason for this largesse is Beijing's determination to diplomatically isolate Taiwan. Says Harry Sung of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C.: "Their top priority is to isolate Taiwan. Most of the remaining countries that recognize Taiwan are located in the Caribbean and Latin America."
China's cricket diplomacy led to two West Indian countries, Grenada and Dominica, derecognizing Taiwan as an independent country. Of the remaining 24 countries that recognize Taiwan, four are in the Caribbean and two of these play cricket.
Full postAssociates need more high-profile matches
Steve Tikolo, Kenya's captain, has pleaded for more international exposure for his side, as well as the other leading Associates.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Steve Tikolo, Kenya's captain, has pleaded for more international exposure for his side, as well as the other leading Associates.
Kenya exited the World Cup after losing to England on Saturday, but Tikolo said that unless the major countries agreed to play the Associates, then the standards would never improve.
"You need more high-level games," Tikolo said. "You can't come here without playing at this level consistently. If you look at our calendar now, what we are expecting is a Twenty20 World Cup in September. Between then and now there's nothing for us.
"If you want the Associates to come up, you have to give them more games, it's as simple as that."
Full postThou shalt not knock the minnows
TV viewers might have noticed that commentators have been very chartable to the so-called minnows during this World Cup so far
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
TV viewers might have noticed that commentators have been very chartable to the so-called minnows during this World Cup so far. For example, when Zimbabwe were in the Caribbean in May, the experts made no attempt to hide their feelings that they were not fit to play international cricket. But even when they tied with Ireland on Saturday, there was hardly a critical word. And even when Bermuda and Netherlands, for example, have been slaughtered, the men in the box have been remarkably jolly about them.
Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, thinks he knows why.
It is understood commentators have been told by Global Cricket Corp producers that it frowns on them denigrating the minnows. However, it is deemed acceptable for commentators to call an event a mismatch but not to say some of the nations do not deserve to be in the tournament.