Odumbe takes swipe at Kenya's management

The increasingly-bitter Maurice Odumbe, who is in the final year of his ban for associating with a bookmaker, has launched a rather predictable swipe at the Kenyan board, blaming it for the country’s absence from the ICC World Twenty20. Kenya failed to make it after a poor qualifying tournament in Ireland last year.

“It’s because of the way cricket is being managed there,” the disgraced former captain said . “After our dream run in 2003, we should’ve become an even better outfit. Clearly something went wrong along the way. These days we’ve all sorts of people running the show, except for those who know the sport. Imagine our manager during the 2007 World Cup was a former hockey player. What could he possibly tell a Ravindu Shah about the sweep shot?

“Earlier we had tours to India, Test teams came and played in Kenya. We also hosted high-profile tournaments like ICC Championship. We used to have a system of proper coaching at U-19, U-13 levels but it seems after 2004, ever since Cricket Kenya took over, we have been struggling.

“It’s not that we don’t have players, we have players they may not be as good as seniors but with a few training and coaching they could have done better and I blame ICC for all this and also the current officials in our board. I don’t think they are doing justice to the game."

While some will still listen to what he has to say because of his undoubted abilities as a player, Odumbe is a marginalised figure in the game and one, sadly, with little to offer it.