Beyond the Test World
Media sniping undermines efforts to rebuild
The incessant sniping at the Cricket Kenya board continues in The Nation, Kenya's leading newspaper
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The incessant sniping at the Cricket Kenya board continues in The Nation, Kenya's leading newspaper. For reasons that remain unclear, some of the paper's sports reporters seem to be of the view that the old Kenyan Cricket Association could do little wrong while the new board has taken the game to new lows.
On September 21, Richard Mwangi wrote on the eve of the county's tour of Uganda: "The Kenyans must register impressive wins if they wish to maintain their position as one of the top associate members of ICC ... Uganda has a development programme which has seen the game spread all over the country unlike Kenya where the game only exists in private clubs. This tour is a litmus test for Kenya 's cricket and the future of the game in the country could be determined by it."
Kenya duly won all three ODIs against Uganda by impressive margins, and one would have expected that met the standards set by the paper. Instead, in his article on September 29, Mwangi poured cold water on the clean sweep by saying that the Ugandans failed to offer the expected competition and turned his attack on the board's poor preparations for the World Cup by claiming the "current local league is not helping matters as the standards are at their lowest ebb". The comprehensive victory in the three-day match which followed later in the week was not even mentioned.
Full postYoung Malton win Ontario Cricket Association Championship
Young Malton 255 (48.5 overs; Enos McDonald 90, Balaji Rao 44; Akbar Hussain 4-48) beat Canterbury 120 (33.4 overs; Tauseef Shamid 30; Puvendran Ravishankar 4-25) by 135 runs
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Young Malton 255 (48.5 overs; Enos McDonald 90, Balaji Rao 44; Akbar Hussain 4-48) beat Canterbury 120 (33.4 overs; Tauseef Shamid 30; Puvendran Ravishankar 4-25) by 135 runs
Young Malton (Etobicoke & District League champions) beat Canterbury CC (Ottawa Valley champions) by 135 runs on Sunday October 1 in the final of the OCA Championship. The match was played at Maple Leaf CC, King City.
The Young Malton side got off to a flying start, making 97 before losing their first wicket. Enos McDonald was top scorer with 90 (6x6; 8x4) and his opening partner, Belaji Rao made 44 (3x6, 3x4). Canterbury missed several catches and probably paid dearly as the opening barrage may have ended before the score reached 30.
Azeemul Haniff (32) and Nadim Khan (33) helped keep the innings flowing. Akber Hussain took the last four Young Malton wickets; the innings ending on 255 all out in the 49th over of a possible 50.
Full postJamaica and USA tie the knot
After more than a year of reports of more concrete links between the USA and the Caribbean being established, the city of Lauderhill in Florida has announced a deal with Falmouth in Jamaica to use the newly-constructed stadium in Trelawny to promote
Will
25-Feb-2013
After more than a year of reports of more concrete links between the USA and the Caribbean being established, the city of Lauderhill in Florida has announced a deal with Falmouth in Jamaica to use the newly-constructed stadium in Trelawny to promote cricket in Jamaica and the USA.
The partnership was launched with a match between a USA Invitational XI and the Jamaican national team on September 30, which the Jamaica side won by 36 runs.
Full postUganda apologise for dismal display
After the series whitewash against Kenya, the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has apologised to all stakeholders
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
After the series whitewash against Kenya, the Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) has apologised to all stakeholders. During the farewell dinner to reward the top performers and see off the Kenyan team, the UCA apologised for the woeful show the team put up. "It was an awakening for us because we were comprehensively beaten. We must admit that we are not yet there because our game was way below par but we will fight on," said UCA Chairman Ivan Kyayonka.
The Guest of Honour John Nagenda - a former national captain and presidential advisor on media -also apologised for the dismal performance, thanked the Kenyans for showing glimpses of fantastic cricket and promised them a better show in the next series. "I have talked to the top men in UCA and we are going to organize a big stakeholders meeting to find a way forward because it is not a pleasant scene to see the game regress. All the players will also be asked what the problem is," added Nagenda.
Kenya's West Indian coach Roger Harper was however full of praises for UCA for accommodating them and giving his team so valuable match practice ahead of the Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda and the World Cup.
Uganda's next series will be a tri-series starting on November 9 against Bermuda and hosts Kenya in Nairobi.
Innocent Ndawula
Full postInnocent Ndawula
Kenya thrash Uganda
Kenya ended their short tour of Uganda with a resounding win over their hosts in the three-day match at Kampala
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Kenya ended their short tour of Uganda with a resounding win over their hosts in the three-day match at Kampala. Earlier in the week, Kenya had completed an easy 3-0 whitewash in the one-day series.
Kenya made 316 for 9 on the opening day, with Steve Tikolo, Morris Ouma, Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo all making fifties, and reduced Uganda to 19 for 2 at the close. The home side were bowled out for 156, and Kenya again batted with ease, reaching 186 for 6 by the time they declared shortly before the close, setting the Ugandans a target of 347. They showed little appetite for the fight and were bowled out shortly after lunch of the final day for 95, giving Kenya a thumping 251-run victory. Peter Ongondo (4 for 42) and Thomas Odoyo (3 for 21) were the stars of a last day which lasted less than two hours.
Full postA new direction home?
After months of silence, the proposed new constitution has finally been unveilled
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
After months of silence, the proposed new constitution has finally been unveilled. Deb K Das writes:
The long-awaited draft Constitution of the USA Cricket Association (USACA), under preparation for the past six months under cloak-and-dagger secrecy, is finally available on the USACA website for all to see. It remains to be seen whether it will be approved by USACA's member clubs - and if it is, whether it will really lead to a reform of US cricket, or end up as another road to nowhere.
New York CCL final
For the first time in the team's history, the Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland's All Stars will play in the final of the New York Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL) tournament later today.
Will
25-Feb-2013
For the first time in the team's history, the Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland's All Stars will play in the final of the New York Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL) tournament later today.
"It's very, very exciting," said Dillon Coley, manager and a player of the Spring Valley-based team. He said the team reached this point because its members had worked hard together. Coley, 51, a native of Jamaica who started playing cricket when he was 12, moved to the United States in 1987.
Full story at The Journal News
Full postEuropean end-of-season round-up
Rod Lyall provides a useful round-up of the cricket season in Europe, ending it with a note of caution:
Will
25-Feb-2013
Rod Lyall provides a useful round-up of the cricket season in Europe, ending it with a note of caution:
The World Cricket League in Nairobi is clearly intended to give all the non-Test countries some serious match practice before the demands of the World Cup in March. That will be the real measure of whether the High Performance Programme has made a difference, and whether the nay-sayers who want to keep international cricket a closed shop have a point.
One can only hope that they are conclusively proved wrong.
Read the full report at CricketEurope
Full postBermuda groundsmen look to PVA
The much-maligned square at the National Sports Centre in Bermuda hosted its first game yesterday since the country qualified for the World Cup
Will
25-Feb-2013
The much-maligned square at the National Sports Centre in Bermuda hosted its first game yesterday since the country qualified for the World Cup. The once crumbling pitch has been given a new lease of life after using PVA glue – a technique in common use by groundsmen in England.
Madeiros proved reluctant to go on the record yesterday, but he did confirm that the PVA formula had been employed and that they would look to continue using it if it proved effective.
National coach Gus Logie was certainly impressed with what he saw, and has requested that tomorrow’s second match be played on the turf rather than the artificial wicket as planned. The Bermuda Cricket Board have been adamant for some time that the Island needs a facility to host ODI cricket if it is make the most of the unprecedented levels of investment.
And while there appears to have been some progress on the pitch, the North Field still lacks the surrounding infrastructure required for ODI accreditation, which the Trustees have previously stated will only become available once the long-awaited Centre Core is built.
Full postChina receives $400,000 investment
The Asian Cricket Council has announced that it allocated $200,000 to the Chinese cricket authorities to promote the game inside the country, and that sum will be matched by the ICC, making the total investment $400,000.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The Asian Cricket Council has announced that it allocated $200,000 to the Chinese cricket authorities to promote the game inside the country, and that sum will be matched by the ICC, making the total investment $400,000.
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