Cricket In the Press

Both the Standard and Nation today carry cricket stories which is nice to see.

Richard Mwangi in the Nation concentrates on the Super Division clash between Kanbis and Nairobi Gymkhana which Kanbis went on to win by 28 runs. Odoyo and Jadavji Jesani the main contributors with the bat for Kanbis. Several youngsters on the fringes of the national team get a mention, as does Ravindu Shah who managed 7. Judging by the Standard's report however, he is still a while away from match fitness, so no need to read too much into that.

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Oscar Pilipili's article makes a big deal of Ravindu not being included in the squad to face the visiting Australians, but it seems like a fair call to me. He was called up for training to guage his fitness which was deemed insufficient to play for the national team. Not surprising considering he was out for the best part of two years and has only played three domestic matches since returning. Given time, he will no doubt make his way back into the team, but he must be in the correct shape to do so otherwise his inclusion will do neither him nor the Kenyan team any good. According to the article, Roger Harper says he has been working hard to improve the concentration levels at the top of the order. I certainly hope so, as the lack of runs in that department has become a real worry. No doubt we shall see how effective he has been come Thursday.

Kenya Team To Play Australian Development Side

Kenya selectors have named the side to take on The Commonwealth Centre Of Excellence team from Australia in three One Day matches starting on Thursday. The second and third matches will be layed over the weekend with all matches to be hosted by Nairobi Gymkhana. Kenya look to be fielding a fairly strong team with many of the players selected already this year either keeping their spots or making a return.

Steve Tikolo will be captain assisted by the on-form Thomas Odoyo who was in fine form for Kanbis again over the weekend. Other players included in the team are:
Kennedy Obuya - probably on his wicketkeeping form rather than his batting which we all hope will return to what it used to be.
Tony Suji - Returns after missing out against Bangladesh.

Tanmay Mishra.
Collins Obuya.
Peter Ongondo.
Nehemiah Odhiambo
Maurice Ouma - showed signs against Bangladesh that he might be improving. Will be a good learning experience for him.
Malhar Patel.
Hiren Variaya - great to see him back in the side. In my opinion should never have been dropped against Bangladesh.
David Obuya - recalled after being dropped following an ordinary start to the year.
Alfred Luseno.
Rakheb Patel.

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Interesting to see Suji and David Obuya getting a recall. So far, I am not aware that either has done that well in the NPCA league and I would have thought this would be a perfect opportunity to give a real go to some of the youngsters like Ashish Karia and Timothy Muange who have been hovering on the sidelines, but never really given a decent chance. It is good to see Rakheb Patel included for the first time as it looks like he can bat a bit as well as bowl. Luseno, Ouma, Malhar Patel, Odhiambo, Mishra and Variaya are all youngsters that have potential but need more exposure, so great to see them in the side. Lets hope they are able to learn from the experience and make the selectors take note ahead of Kenya's next full International series which will be against Bermuda in November.

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This will be a tough series for Kenya as the Australian visitors include many who are tipped as future Australian Internationals. They play a tough brand of cricket, and it will do our youngsters the World of good to be exposed to it. All credit to those who organised this visit, and all the best to the team.

Cricket Kenya's Website

The following is a transcript from my email to the site administrators. I think it speaks for itself about my thoughts on the Official site for Kenyan cricket:

Why is the Website not being updated?
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5 ODI's have been played by Kenya since the site was last updated.
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There is no news on the domestic front, despite Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa leagues all playing over the weekend.
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There is no news on junior development.
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For this site to be a success, it must be kept up to date. Otherwise, it is a waste of resources.

A Golden Opportunity

East African Cricket On The Rise

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Tanzania's resounding victory in the WCL Africa Div 2 (Associates) championship recently completed in Dar es Salaam means that both of the African representatives to the WCL World Div 3 (Associates) will be Kenya's neighbours. Uganda had already qualified through ICC ranking system when the divisions were first set up. To be played in Los Angeles early next year, the Div 3 tournament gives two teams the opportunity to progress to Division 2, from which the first to fourth teams go through to the 2011 World Cup Qualifier Tournament to be held in 2009.

In LA, Tanzania and Uganda will line up against:

Cayman Islands
Fiji
Hong Kong
Italy
Papua New Guinea
USA

A resurgent USA may feel themselves favourites for the tournament on home soil, but with the right preparation, there is no reason why the two East African teams could not finish first and second.

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This is where Kenya must step in. Aside from regional loyalty, it is in our interests to see our two immediate neighbours get stronger. Already Uganda are able to beat our A team and before long may be giving our national squad good competition as well. If Tanzania continue to improve, which considering most of their team are under 20, should happen, we could get to the stage where Kenya can play competetive matches against both our immediate neighbours. This will not only mean we can all prepare for major tournaments better and cheaper, but it should also mean that interest in the game will pick up locally. There is nothing like a local derby to get people interested in a game.

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Kenya needs to make the most of the opportunity provided by having two improving neighbours. We need to organise further events like the Atul Shah Tournament where our A team plays both Uganda and Tanzania. More importantly, we need to organise to play them at the longer form of the game as well. Regular matches between the three nations played over 4 days will ultimately not only significantly strengthen all the national sides, but should also start to build a strong fan base as the rivalries develop. Both are vital if sides from the region are each going to take the next step up from their respective positions.

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With the rise of Tanzanian and Ugandan cricket, Kenya has a golden opportunity to lead the region forward and strengthen ourselves as a result. This must not be allowed to go to waste. If handled correctly, there is no reason why the East African region cannot by 2009 have all 3 teams vying for a place in the 2011 World Cup. A note of warning however: Uganda and Tanzania have got where they are today by setting up impressive youth systems. If Kenya does not emulate or better these, then we will be looking at being overtaken. We must make the most of this opportunity to help take our neighbours forward, but need to ensure we also strive to improve ourselves to keep ahead of them.

Oshwal Win Junior Tournament

The Crown Berger Obuya junior cricket tournament was held for the first time this weekend at Nairobi Jafferys. I'm not sure how many teams took part, as the first I had heard about it was this report by Oscar Pilipili in the Standard. Judging by the names, it looks as though both girls and boys played in the teams. Nice to see also a good racial mix playing the game, something that can only bode well for the future.

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The article in the Standard goes into more detail of the tournament, but the final was won by Oshwal High who beat Nairobi Gymkhana. Again, I'm not sure of the ages of the players involved, but good to see junior cricket not only being played, but also reported in the press. What would be even better would be to see an official league or leagues set up to nurture the talent that is obviously there and give it the foundation needed to flourish.

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Already there are plenty of private schools who, at least at primary level, play their own leagues and produce players of a high calibre. What Cricket Kenya need to do is approach these schools with the aim of bringing them under one umbrella league that will bring together all junior cricket teams. Without knowing exact numbers, there would probably be enough schools playing in Nairobi alone for at least two if not three divisions, more if teams from further afield are included. With the staff and facilities they have, one would expect the club sides and private schools to dominate, certainly in the first few years. Playing them however would certainly raise the standard of many of the schools who are newer to cricket and it would also give selectors an idea of which players to watch for the future from the whole junior player base.

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September is normally the beginning of the cricket term in the private schools, so it may be too late this year, but there is no reason the groundwork cannot be done now and a couple of tournaments organised where the teams from different backgrounds are introduced to the idea. Kenya has plenty of cricket talent, we just need to find a way to grow it and funnel it through to senior level.