Today, Kenya return from Zimbabwe, having lost their Intercontinental Cup match against Zimbabwe 'A' by five wickets and the ODI series against Zimbabwe by one game to four.
But how different might it have been if the Kenyans had been able to build on the day when, in reply to Kenya's 333 all out, they had Zimbabwe 'A' at 178 for 7. But for Vusi Sibanda's double-century, which took his side to 352, how different might it have been?
A victory in the 'A' game would have provided just the impetus needed for the ODIs; yet it was only in the third game, won by Kenya by 20 runs, that the East Africans took the game by the scruff of the neck. It was then so utterly disappointing that in the fourth game Kenya, having scored a challenging-looking 270 for 8, allowed Zimbabwe to run away to a six-wicket victory with two overs to spare; and then, in the final match, to be hammered by an enormous number of runs.
The plus point of the tour, however, must be the regeneration of Zimbabwe. Sibanda 's splendid innings, Hamilton Masakadza's imposing batting, and the re-emergence of Stuart Matsikenyeri as a powerful lower-order player are all good for the game; and all credit must be given to Kenya for visiting that benighted land.
Kenya, not totally outplayed, will see this tour as a prospectus for the future, so that now, if Scotland is to come to Kenya for an Intercontinental Cup fixture and a series of ODIs in January, that will fill a very good gap in the schedules - as neither side is going to the Under-19 world cup finals in New Zealand -and is likely to prove useful to both sides in what should be a very exciting rubber.
The green shoots are there, and Eldine Baptiste's hand on the tiller can already be detected. Let's just hope that the 2010s will prove 'anni mirabiles' and will bring for Kenya a joyful restoration and return to the great days of the 1990s.
- Topspinner
Showing posts with label Zimbabwe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zimbabwe. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sweet, Sweet Victory
Kenya bounced back yesterday in the 3rd ODI v Zimbabwe to win by 20 runs and keep alive a series that had threatened to become embarrassing. For the first time on the tour, Maurice Ouma won the toss and not surprisingly opted to bat. Kenya were once again in experimental mode with both batting order and line up and this time found some things that worked.
Alex Obanda who had so far looked uncomfortable at 3 in the earlier games this time opened with the in form David Obuya and it proved to be a perfect combination. They got Kenya off to a rollicking start both bringing up their half centuries in an opening stand of 119 before Obuya (56) fell to the medium pace of Masakadza. From a position of domination, Kenya then proceeded to let Zimbabwe back into the game as Tikolo (1) and Obanda (65) both followed shortly after.
with new batsmen at the crease, Kenya now found the going much tougher and though Patel (20) and Ouma (17) both got starts, it looked like Kenya were going to throw away their advantage completely. This feeling was only compounded by the run out of Kamande (5) which left Kenya reeling at 185/6 after 38.4 overs. Considering Kenya had at one stage been 115/0 after 19 overs, Zimbabwe would have been very happy with their comeback.
Just when things were looking their gloomiest for Kenya however enter Thomas Odoyo and Collins Obuya. The pair waited until the 40 over mark and then launched a vicious attack on the Zimbabwe bowling with Odoyo particularly brutal in his 28 off 22 deliveries. He did then come unstuck to a return catch to Ray Price, probably the pick of the Zimbabwean bowling, but he had given the inning enough impetus to allow Collins Obuya to fire through to the end to finish on 52 off 63 deliveries though the last half of those runs came at well over a run a ball. Obuya was run out on the final delivery as he put team ahead of statistics in a bid for one more run. Thanks to the fine efforts at the beginning and end of the Kenyan innings, they finished on 266/9 and would have gone into the break confident of a maiden victory on the tour.
Zimbabwe started their chase in familiar fashion plundering 15 runs of the first 2 overs before Odoyo struck twice to have both Vermeulen (lbw for 6) and Coventry (bowled for 1) back in the pavilion and Kenya right back in the driving seat. Unsurprisingly this did not seem to deter the form player of the tournament so far, Hamilton Masakadza who promptly took 3 boundaries of Odoyo's next over. A double bowling change had the desired effect for Kenya however as Kamande went for 1 in his first over and Nemiah Odhiambo had Masakadza caught by David Obuya for a run-a-ball 44. It was a vital wicket for Kenya and with the required run rate slowly climbing they should have already scented victory.
Again however Zimbabwe contrived to get out of jail with a watchful and responsible partnership between Brendan Taylor (91) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (58). The pair put on 142 for the 4th wicket and though the run rate required continued to inch its way over 6 an over, Zimbabwe still looked as though they had done the Houdini with about 10 overs to go. Just as they were looking comfortable, Hiren Varaiya did what he so often does for Kenya and took 2 quick wickets. Both were bowled and both were the settled batsmen, first Matsikenyeri then in his next over, Taylor. Suddenly it was Kenya back on top and Zimbabwe who had the jitters.
Having done the damage, Varaiya was then pulled from the attack with the remaining six overs shared out between Odoyo and Odhiambo and it was the latter who came up trumps taking 3 more wickets to finish with his first ever 4 wicket haul in ODI cricket. Without Sean Williams, unable to bat due to injury, Zimbabwe lost their final wicket with the penultimate ball of the match but by then the result was academic anyhow. Kenya had held on to a vital and morale boosting win. what was even more satisfying for the visitors was that this win still came with so many of the players not yet playing to their potential. So far this series has seen them improve every match and they will now go into the remaining two games confident that they can not only compete with their hosts but beat them as well.
One final point to ponder: so far in the three ODIs, Kenya have conceded a total of just 20 extras. Zimbabwe have conceded 51. Perhaps already a sign of a tighter ship under the new coach?
Alex Obanda who had so far looked uncomfortable at 3 in the earlier games this time opened with the in form David Obuya and it proved to be a perfect combination. They got Kenya off to a rollicking start both bringing up their half centuries in an opening stand of 119 before Obuya (56) fell to the medium pace of Masakadza. From a position of domination, Kenya then proceeded to let Zimbabwe back into the game as Tikolo (1) and Obanda (65) both followed shortly after.
with new batsmen at the crease, Kenya now found the going much tougher and though Patel (20) and Ouma (17) both got starts, it looked like Kenya were going to throw away their advantage completely. This feeling was only compounded by the run out of Kamande (5) which left Kenya reeling at 185/6 after 38.4 overs. Considering Kenya had at one stage been 115/0 after 19 overs, Zimbabwe would have been very happy with their comeback.
Just when things were looking their gloomiest for Kenya however enter Thomas Odoyo and Collins Obuya. The pair waited until the 40 over mark and then launched a vicious attack on the Zimbabwe bowling with Odoyo particularly brutal in his 28 off 22 deliveries. He did then come unstuck to a return catch to Ray Price, probably the pick of the Zimbabwean bowling, but he had given the inning enough impetus to allow Collins Obuya to fire through to the end to finish on 52 off 63 deliveries though the last half of those runs came at well over a run a ball. Obuya was run out on the final delivery as he put team ahead of statistics in a bid for one more run. Thanks to the fine efforts at the beginning and end of the Kenyan innings, they finished on 266/9 and would have gone into the break confident of a maiden victory on the tour.
Zimbabwe started their chase in familiar fashion plundering 15 runs of the first 2 overs before Odoyo struck twice to have both Vermeulen (lbw for 6) and Coventry (bowled for 1) back in the pavilion and Kenya right back in the driving seat. Unsurprisingly this did not seem to deter the form player of the tournament so far, Hamilton Masakadza who promptly took 3 boundaries of Odoyo's next over. A double bowling change had the desired effect for Kenya however as Kamande went for 1 in his first over and Nemiah Odhiambo had Masakadza caught by David Obuya for a run-a-ball 44. It was a vital wicket for Kenya and with the required run rate slowly climbing they should have already scented victory.
Again however Zimbabwe contrived to get out of jail with a watchful and responsible partnership between Brendan Taylor (91) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (58). The pair put on 142 for the 4th wicket and though the run rate required continued to inch its way over 6 an over, Zimbabwe still looked as though they had done the Houdini with about 10 overs to go. Just as they were looking comfortable, Hiren Varaiya did what he so often does for Kenya and took 2 quick wickets. Both were bowled and both were the settled batsmen, first Matsikenyeri then in his next over, Taylor. Suddenly it was Kenya back on top and Zimbabwe who had the jitters.
Having done the damage, Varaiya was then pulled from the attack with the remaining six overs shared out between Odoyo and Odhiambo and it was the latter who came up trumps taking 3 more wickets to finish with his first ever 4 wicket haul in ODI cricket. Without Sean Williams, unable to bat due to injury, Zimbabwe lost their final wicket with the penultimate ball of the match but by then the result was academic anyhow. Kenya had held on to a vital and morale boosting win. what was even more satisfying for the visitors was that this win still came with so many of the players not yet playing to their potential. So far this series has seen them improve every match and they will now go into the remaining two games confident that they can not only compete with their hosts but beat them as well.
One final point to ponder: so far in the three ODIs, Kenya have conceded a total of just 20 extras. Zimbabwe have conceded 51. Perhaps already a sign of a tighter ship under the new coach?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
One that got away
If the first ODI was frustrating for Kenyan fans because Kenya seemed to be totally outplayed from the start, the second was more so because they seemed to contrive to lose a game that should have been won.
Once again Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat with Hamilton Masakadza once again in blistering form. This time however, Kenya's bowlers kept a much tighter reign and even though Masakadza made 66, he was not able either to score at the pace of the first game, now go on to convert it to a big hundred. Perhaps the difference in the team was the inclusion of Hiren Varaiya who came into the side for an unlucky Jimmy Kamande. Quite how the most economical bowler from the first game gets left out when Onyango who made a record for runs conceded was retained bamboozled not a few fans.
Varaiya was certainly the standout for Kenya taking 3/38 off his ten overs, but Tikolo 2/38 off 10 also impressed as did the third spinner used, Rakep Patel - no wickets perhaps, but 4 useful overs that went for just 18. While the spinners took the glory, much work had earlier been done by Peter Ongondo and surprisingly after the first game, Lameck Onyango. Both kept a tight line and prevented the Zimbabweans from scoring freely, no doubt contributing to the steady wickets that fell once the initial partnership had been broken. Nehemiah Odhiambo was more expensive, but still picked up 2 vital wickets and had Kenya not once more allowed an unbeaten 65 run stand between Matsikenyeri (77*) and Cremer (31* off 19), Zimbabwe should have been restricted to under 250. As it was, they still only posted 263 and this should have been a target to have Kenya pressing for a win.
David Obuya certainly made his intentions clear scoring freely at a run a ball and had he recieved better support from those around him both he and the cause would have fared better. Instead the other top order batsmen seemed to find it as hard to score as he found it easy and as a result the pressure built and wickets fell. Obuya in the end came unstuck on 49, but his innings alone deserved mention for trying to keep Kenya in the match.
From Zimbabwe's point of view, it was the spinners who did the damage. Cremer rightfully walked away with man of the match for his 6/46 but it was Utseya who introduced himself first and really began to take the game away from the Kenyans. Perhaps Kenya need to think on reintroducing Kamande for one of the seamers, most likely Otieno for the next game. While on the subject, the express pace of Luseno should also get a chance on this tour otherwise there is little reason for him to travel.
Little more can be said really. This was a game Kenya could and should have won. there is now a day's break before the 3rd game of the series and Kenya will need to regroup fast to avoid going 3-0 down. There is no doubt that the talent is there in this side to upset Zimbabwe. Individual performances have promised that but then foundered due to lack of support and perhaps self belief. Kenya must learn to go for the kill when there is a sniff of victory and they must learn to believe in themselves and the prospect of victory.
Once again Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat with Hamilton Masakadza once again in blistering form. This time however, Kenya's bowlers kept a much tighter reign and even though Masakadza made 66, he was not able either to score at the pace of the first game, now go on to convert it to a big hundred. Perhaps the difference in the team was the inclusion of Hiren Varaiya who came into the side for an unlucky Jimmy Kamande. Quite how the most economical bowler from the first game gets left out when Onyango who made a record for runs conceded was retained bamboozled not a few fans.
Varaiya was certainly the standout for Kenya taking 3/38 off his ten overs, but Tikolo 2/38 off 10 also impressed as did the third spinner used, Rakep Patel - no wickets perhaps, but 4 useful overs that went for just 18. While the spinners took the glory, much work had earlier been done by Peter Ongondo and surprisingly after the first game, Lameck Onyango. Both kept a tight line and prevented the Zimbabweans from scoring freely, no doubt contributing to the steady wickets that fell once the initial partnership had been broken. Nehemiah Odhiambo was more expensive, but still picked up 2 vital wickets and had Kenya not once more allowed an unbeaten 65 run stand between Matsikenyeri (77*) and Cremer (31* off 19), Zimbabwe should have been restricted to under 250. As it was, they still only posted 263 and this should have been a target to have Kenya pressing for a win.
David Obuya certainly made his intentions clear scoring freely at a run a ball and had he recieved better support from those around him both he and the cause would have fared better. Instead the other top order batsmen seemed to find it as hard to score as he found it easy and as a result the pressure built and wickets fell. Obuya in the end came unstuck on 49, but his innings alone deserved mention for trying to keep Kenya in the match.
From Zimbabwe's point of view, it was the spinners who did the damage. Cremer rightfully walked away with man of the match for his 6/46 but it was Utseya who introduced himself first and really began to take the game away from the Kenyans. Perhaps Kenya need to think on reintroducing Kamande for one of the seamers, most likely Otieno for the next game. While on the subject, the express pace of Luseno should also get a chance on this tour otherwise there is little reason for him to travel.
Little more can be said really. This was a game Kenya could and should have won. there is now a day's break before the 3rd game of the series and Kenya will need to regroup fast to avoid going 3-0 down. There is no doubt that the talent is there in this side to upset Zimbabwe. Individual performances have promised that but then foundered due to lack of support and perhaps self belief. Kenya must learn to go for the kill when there is a sniff of victory and they must learn to believe in themselves and the prospect of victory.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Power of One
Kenya ended up losing their Intercontinental Cup match against a Zimbabwe X and their captain Vusi Sibanda who was almost single-handedly responsible for not just winning the match for the home side, but indeed for rescuing them from what should have been a big first innings deficit. In a match where Kenya twice looked like they were going to really dominate only to miss going for the jugular and allow their hosts back into the game, Sibanda looked a total class above all others on the field. His two innings produced 325 runs, only 10 less than the target set be Kenya for Zimbabwe to chase on the final day. It was a batting effort that highlighted both the shortcomings of the Kenyan attack and also the frailties of the rest of the Zimbabwe team. Without him, this match would have had a very different outcome.
Having been put in bat on day 1, Kenya produced several partnerships that could have been built on to post a big total. Unfortunately the familiar curse of wickets falling in pairs continues to haunt the team and while several players got starts only 2, Tikolo and Obanda, converted these to half centuries and no one went close to a century, in this format of the game something very necessary to set a team up for victory. Despite having opportunity to turn the screws on their hosts, Kenya instead faded to 333 when at one stage 400 looked like it was on the cards.
Day 2 again began with Kenya on top as Zimbabwe lost early and regular wickets. One man alone seemed able to defy the bowlers, but even the brilliance of Sibanda did not look like enough to salvage anything less than a first innings deficit of at least 100. Kenya were clearly in the driving seat with Zimbabwe at 178/7 and should have been able to strangle their hosts out of any hope of either a victory or first innings points. Finally however the Zimbabwean skipper found a worthy partner in Chakabva and the two put on a 161 run partnership that not only rescued first innings points for Zimbabwe but also seemed to break the belief of Kenya. Chakavba is no slouch with the bat at all and came into this match with two First Class centuries under his belt, but for a team to let an opportunity like that slip and allow an opponent off the ropes is something that Kenya must exorcise if they are to ever dominate even the Associates in the longer format of the game, let alone compete with the Test nations or their A sides with their greater First Class exposure.
Once Zimbabwe had first innings points in the bag, they gave Kenya a masterclass on how to pile pressure on an opponent. Kenya's second innings was like the first littered with starts, but yet again no one was able or allowed to convert these to a score that would have swung the pendulum back Kenya's way. By the end of day 3 Kenya had folded to 254 all out, with only a half century from Captain Maurice Ouma to stand out on the scoreboard.
There was a brief moment of hope for the visitors on day 4 as again early wickets fell, but once again, Kenya were unable to make the pressure tell and once again it was that man Sibabda that was there to orchestrate Zimbabwe's innings. On day 2, Kenya had finally managed to dismiss him for 209, This time there were not enough runs on the board to make it possible. A third wicket stand of 166 with Chibhabha pretty much left the outcome of the match decided and it was then a matter of playing for pride for Kenya. To their credit, they stuck to the task and in the end reduced the margin of victory to 5 wickets, but it was an easy win for Zimbabwe. A win that is all the more painful as if Kenya had been able to subdue the opposition skipper, or even to have put enough pressure on the rest of the team, they would have won themselves.
Credit must go to Sibanda for his fantastic effort. He is the first player to score both a double century and century in the same game in the Intercontinental Cup and if he continues to play that way will almost certainly earn a call up to the full team. Kenya however must regroup fast and focus on springing an upset in the ODI series. Then they must return home and coach and administration must combine to ensure there is the opportunity to play competitive multi-innings cricket. The Elite Leagues are supposed to run hot on the heels of the NPCA comp finishing in November and these cannot come quick enough. The NPCA League is now competitive enough that the best players get to play each other regularly at limited overs cricket, but unless they get the same experience in the longer games, we are likely to continue to see these games escape when we take on teams at International Level.
Fingers crossed we will see better results when the ODI series begins tomorrow.
Having been put in bat on day 1, Kenya produced several partnerships that could have been built on to post a big total. Unfortunately the familiar curse of wickets falling in pairs continues to haunt the team and while several players got starts only 2, Tikolo and Obanda, converted these to half centuries and no one went close to a century, in this format of the game something very necessary to set a team up for victory. Despite having opportunity to turn the screws on their hosts, Kenya instead faded to 333 when at one stage 400 looked like it was on the cards.
Day 2 again began with Kenya on top as Zimbabwe lost early and regular wickets. One man alone seemed able to defy the bowlers, but even the brilliance of Sibanda did not look like enough to salvage anything less than a first innings deficit of at least 100. Kenya were clearly in the driving seat with Zimbabwe at 178/7 and should have been able to strangle their hosts out of any hope of either a victory or first innings points. Finally however the Zimbabwean skipper found a worthy partner in Chakabva and the two put on a 161 run partnership that not only rescued first innings points for Zimbabwe but also seemed to break the belief of Kenya. Chakavba is no slouch with the bat at all and came into this match with two First Class centuries under his belt, but for a team to let an opportunity like that slip and allow an opponent off the ropes is something that Kenya must exorcise if they are to ever dominate even the Associates in the longer format of the game, let alone compete with the Test nations or their A sides with their greater First Class exposure.
Once Zimbabwe had first innings points in the bag, they gave Kenya a masterclass on how to pile pressure on an opponent. Kenya's second innings was like the first littered with starts, but yet again no one was able or allowed to convert these to a score that would have swung the pendulum back Kenya's way. By the end of day 3 Kenya had folded to 254 all out, with only a half century from Captain Maurice Ouma to stand out on the scoreboard.
There was a brief moment of hope for the visitors on day 4 as again early wickets fell, but once again, Kenya were unable to make the pressure tell and once again it was that man Sibabda that was there to orchestrate Zimbabwe's innings. On day 2, Kenya had finally managed to dismiss him for 209, This time there were not enough runs on the board to make it possible. A third wicket stand of 166 with Chibhabha pretty much left the outcome of the match decided and it was then a matter of playing for pride for Kenya. To their credit, they stuck to the task and in the end reduced the margin of victory to 5 wickets, but it was an easy win for Zimbabwe. A win that is all the more painful as if Kenya had been able to subdue the opposition skipper, or even to have put enough pressure on the rest of the team, they would have won themselves.
Credit must go to Sibanda for his fantastic effort. He is the first player to score both a double century and century in the same game in the Intercontinental Cup and if he continues to play that way will almost certainly earn a call up to the full team. Kenya however must regroup fast and focus on springing an upset in the ODI series. Then they must return home and coach and administration must combine to ensure there is the opportunity to play competitive multi-innings cricket. The Elite Leagues are supposed to run hot on the heels of the NPCA comp finishing in November and these cannot come quick enough. The NPCA League is now competitive enough that the best players get to play each other regularly at limited overs cricket, but unless they get the same experience in the longer games, we are likely to continue to see these games escape when we take on teams at International Level.
Fingers crossed we will see better results when the ODI series begins tomorrow.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
All to play for after day 1
Half centuries from Steve Tikolo (61) and Alex Obanda (51) along with numerous starts from other players have helped Kenya to a total of 327/9 on day 1 of their Intercontinental Cup match against the Zimbabwe XI. Losing the toss and having been put into bat, Kenya lost the early wicket of Rakep Patel who was promoted to opener in the absence of Seren Waters (14/1).
Collins Obuya (21) then joined brother David (37) for a profitable 71 run partnership that was ended when David was trapped lbw by Timycen Maruma (85/2). Collins followed shortly after when he was run out to bring Zimbabwe back into the game at 91/3. His departure brought together the old and new skippers, Steve Tikolo (Pictured right on his way to a century against canada earlier this year) and Maurice Ouma and the two steadied the ship before beginning to threaten to take the game away from the Zimbabweans with a 108 run partnership, but once again, Kenya lost 2 quick wickets in succession as first Ouma was out bowled by Chibhabha for 38 (197/4) and then Tikolo followed shortly after caught by opposition captain, Sibanda also off Chibhabha's medium pace (211/5).
Though Alex Obanda (51) combined with first Jimmy Kamande (9) in a 31 run partnership and with Thomas Odoyo (14) for another one of 40 runs, wickets again fell one after the other to allow Zimbabwe to claw their way back into the game. Rageb Aga (9) was the final wicket to fall for Kenya as a late flurry from Nehemiah Odhiambo (21* off 20 balls) allowed Kenya to finish the day on 327/9, Hiren Varaiya (6*) the other batsman remaining at the crease.
Having been put into bat, Kenya will probably be fairly happy with where they sit, though after the partnership from Tikolo and Ouma they would have been targeting a score around 400 rather than low 300s. Both remaining batsmen can however stick around and if Odhiambo can continue his form with the bat on day 2, a score of 350 could be just enough for Kenya to defend first innings points if they bowl well.
It will be an interesting test for the Kenyan attack which will be without stalwart Peter Ongono who was left out for Aga. Kenyan fans and selectors alike will be hoping this was the right decision and that the seam combination of Odoyo, Odhiambo and Aga makes enough inroads for the spinners to do their work later. It should be a fascinating day's cricket.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New Schedule for Zimbabwe Tour
| DAY | DATE | MONTH | EVENT | VENUE |
| Monday | 5 | October | Kenya arrive in Zimbabwe and travel to Kwekwe | Harare |
| Tuesday | 6 | October | Rest/Practice | Kwekwe |
| Wednesday | 7 | October | I-Cup Game vs. Zimbabwe ‘A’- Day 1 | Kwekwe Sports Club |
| Thursday | 8 | October | I-Cup Game vs. Zimbabwe ‘A’- Day 2 | Kwekwe Sports Club |
| Friday | 9 | October | I-Cup Game vs. Zimbabwe ‘A’- Day 3 | Kwekwe Sports Club |
| Saturday | 10 | October | I-Cup Game vs. Zimbabwe ‘A’- Day 4 | Kwekwe Sports Club |
| Sunday | 11 | October | Travel to Harare (am) and Rest/Practice(pm) | Harare |
| Monday | 12 | October | 1st ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| Tuesday | 13 | October | 2nd ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| Wednesday | 14 | October | Rest/Practice | Harare |
| Thursday | 15 | October | 3rd ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| Friday | 16 | October | Rest/Practice | Harare |
| Saturday | 17 | October | 4th ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| Sunday | 18 | October | 5th ODI | Harare Sports Club |
| Monday | 19 | October | Kenya Depart Zimbabwe | Harare |
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Kenya to play Zimbabwe away in October
Not sure how reliable this report is, but Kenya are apparently scheduled to take on Zimbabwe in the Intercontinental Cup in early October. Zimbabwe are fielding a less than full strength side in this event - a perfect cop out from a team that looks scared to play its full strength side in case they get beaten by an Associate and hence jeopardise the return to Test cricket. A ploy that the ICC in their ususal lame duck way when dealing with Full members over Associates have bowed to. Even so, it Should be a good opportunity for Kenya to get some more points away from home.
No concrete news yet from the ICC on the rest of the fixtures for this event. It is high time they got their act together and gave the Associates the time and warning needed to prepare for games properly. But then that would be running something efficiently, not really the forte of the game's administrators.
No concrete news yet from the ICC on the rest of the fixtures for this event. It is high time they got their act together and gave the Associates the time and warning needed to prepare for games properly. But then that would be running something efficiently, not really the forte of the game's administrators.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Zimbabwe's loss, Associates half-gain
The ICC Cricket committee's recommendation that Zimbabwe be held back from Test status until they can prove their ability against the top associates is almost a really good step for World cricket. Almost, but not quite.
It preserves the sanctity of Test cricket by ensuring that only teams good enough get to play it, and in the structure of the International game, this is necessary to keep the purists and traditional cricket lovers happy. It gives the top associates a chance to prove themselves against Zimbabwe - a side with Test experience and a longer history in multi-day cricket that any of the Associates.
It also allows countries like England, Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to sidestep the political ramifications of playing Zimbabwe and handing that moral dilemma down to teams such as Scotland and Ireland, but that is an argument to be left for another day.
At a pure cricketing level, this measure (if adopted by the executive) will mean that once they prove themselves good enough, Zimbabwe can step back up to Test cricket. What it does not do is provide a similar chance for an Associate team to make that same step. This should have been the perfect opportunity for the ICC to put in place a system whereby the most deserving team could earn itself a Test spot, instead they let the ball slip through their fingers.
Had they wanted to show they are serious about expanding the game, the ICC should have said that the winner of the 2007/8 Intercontinental Cup will be promoted to Test cricket for a period of 2 years - the period of the next Intercontinental Cup. At the end of that time, the lowest ranked Test side would then host a series against the new winner of the Intercontinental Cup with the winner retaining Test status for another two years, and so on.
This would in effect mean that the top 11 cricket playing nations would always be the ones playing Test cricket. No dilution would occur to the records and the high standards of Test cricket would have been safeguarded. For Associates, it would provide that final bridge to top flight cricket. It would provide an incentive for players from the Associates to stay with their countries rather than defecting to England and would significantly raise the stakes of the Intercontinental Cup making it more attractive to sponsors and hence providing increased funds for cricket growth on a global scale. In an ideal follow on, there would then be a third division introduced for the next tier of nations with a similar a promotion/relegation system. It is high time that performances on the pitch were allowed to determine who gets to play Test cricket rather than old-fashioned prejudice and politics. The ICC say they want to continue expanding the game. This is the perfect opportunity for them to actually deliver on that rather than offering empty promises.
It preserves the sanctity of Test cricket by ensuring that only teams good enough get to play it, and in the structure of the International game, this is necessary to keep the purists and traditional cricket lovers happy. It gives the top associates a chance to prove themselves against Zimbabwe - a side with Test experience and a longer history in multi-day cricket that any of the Associates.
It also allows countries like England, Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to sidestep the political ramifications of playing Zimbabwe and handing that moral dilemma down to teams such as Scotland and Ireland, but that is an argument to be left for another day.
At a pure cricketing level, this measure (if adopted by the executive) will mean that once they prove themselves good enough, Zimbabwe can step back up to Test cricket. What it does not do is provide a similar chance for an Associate team to make that same step. This should have been the perfect opportunity for the ICC to put in place a system whereby the most deserving team could earn itself a Test spot, instead they let the ball slip through their fingers.
Had they wanted to show they are serious about expanding the game, the ICC should have said that the winner of the 2007/8 Intercontinental Cup will be promoted to Test cricket for a period of 2 years - the period of the next Intercontinental Cup. At the end of that time, the lowest ranked Test side would then host a series against the new winner of the Intercontinental Cup with the winner retaining Test status for another two years, and so on.
This would in effect mean that the top 11 cricket playing nations would always be the ones playing Test cricket. No dilution would occur to the records and the high standards of Test cricket would have been safeguarded. For Associates, it would provide that final bridge to top flight cricket. It would provide an incentive for players from the Associates to stay with their countries rather than defecting to England and would significantly raise the stakes of the Intercontinental Cup making it more attractive to sponsors and hence providing increased funds for cricket growth on a global scale. In an ideal follow on, there would then be a third division introduced for the next tier of nations with a similar a promotion/relegation system. It is high time that performances on the pitch were allowed to determine who gets to play Test cricket rather than old-fashioned prejudice and politics. The ICC say they want to continue expanding the game. This is the perfect opportunity for them to actually deliver on that rather than offering empty promises.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Individual performances in Zimbabwe
While the team results were not the best in Zimbabwe, there is still plenty of good to be found in the individual performances. I have been doing some number crunching and these are the summarised stats of all of the players on tour:
Note that i have not included averages or strike rate as full bowling details fromthe Northern match were not available, so only the wickets taken in that match were included.
| Batsman | Innings | not out | Runs | Balls | Avg | S.R | 50s | 100s |
| CO Obuya | 10 | 1 | 383 | 891 | 42.56 | 42.99 | 1 | 2 |
| T Mishra | 10 | 1 | 352 | 858 | 39.11 | 41.03 | 3 | 0 |
| A Obanda | 10 | 0 | 358 | 949 | 35.80 | 37.72 | 2 | 1 |
| MA Ouma | 8 | 0 | 261 | 437 | 32.63 | 59.73 | 1 | 1 |
| DO Obuya | 10 | 0 | 247 | 537 | 24.70 | 46.00 | 0 | 1 |
| AO Suji | 8 | 0 | 186 | 510 | 23.25 | 36.47 | 1 | 0 |
| N Odhiambo | 9 | 1 | 87 | 127 | 10.88 | 68.50 | 0 | 0 |
| HA Varaiya | 9 | 1 | 83 | 381 | 10.38 | 21.78 | 0 | 0 |
| JK Kamande | 8 | 1 | 67 | 215 | 9.57 | 31.16 | 0 | 0 |
| RL Bhudia | 5 | 0 | 34 | 45 | 6.80 | 75.56 | 0 | 0 |
| RR Patel | 2 | 0 | 12 | 78 | 6.00 | 15.38 | 0 | 0 |
| S Karia | 2 | 0 | 11 | 98 | 5.50 | 11.22 | 0 | 0 |
| AS Luseno | 8 | 5 | 14 | 56 | 4.67 | 25.00 | 0 | 0 |
| E Otieno | 5 | 2 | 6 | 66 | 2.00 | 9.09 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowler | OVERS | MAIDENS | RUNS | WICKETS |
| HA Varaiya | 147.2 | 41 | 349 | 22 |
| N Odhiambo | 105 | 24 | 269 | 15 |
| AS Luseno | 100 | 20 | 310 | 11 |
| CO Obuya | 64.1 | 8 | 185 | 8 |
| JK Kamande | 86.2 | 15 | 229 | 5 |
| RL Bhudia | 25 | 6 | 55 | 1 |
| AO Suji | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| E Otieno | 60 | 20 | 124 | 1 |
| T Mishra | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| RR Patel | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| S Karia | 4.2 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
Note that i have not included averages or strike rate as full bowling details fromthe Northern match were not available, so only the wickets taken in that match were included.
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