Akshar League 2006 Leading Batsmen and Bowlers

The following are the figures for the top ten batsmen and wicket takers in the Akshar League 2006. Note figures do not include semis, I will post a list incorporating the semis and finals after next weekend:

Top 10 Bowlers by Wickets taken:

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BOWLER..........CLUB..........TOTAL.....5wkts.....4wkts
Ghanshyam.....Akshar.A..........18.............2..............1
Raju.................Diamond..........12.............1...............1
Shanti...............V.O.C...............11..............1..............0

Rakesh..............Eldoret............11...............1.............0
Tejash...............Eldoret............10..............1..............0
Batuk.................V.O.C..............10..............0.............1
Ravi..................Akshar.B..........10..............0.............1
Jogesh..............Akshar.A..........10..............0.............0

Snehal...............Eldoret..............9...............0............0

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Ghanshyam the clear leader there and no small reason why Akshar A are playing this weekend's finals. Surprising to see no player from Kericho feature in the top 10. They did however have 4 players who finished on 8 wickets each, so a team effort rather than individual brilliance from them to top the table.

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Top 10 Batsman By Averages:

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Batsman..............Team.......Innings......N/O............Total.....Average
Jogesh..............Akshar.A...........5.............1................160........40.00
Lalji...................Kericho............4.............2.................78.........39.00
Vishal.................Eldoret............4.............1.................116........38.67
Vimal................Diamond..........3.............1..................76.........38.00
Rakesh..............Akshar.B..........4.............2..................65.........32.50
Jigar..................Kericho............3.............0..................93.........31.00
Rakesh...............Eldoret............3..............2.................26.........26.00
Tushar...............Kericho............1..............1.................26..........26.00

Divyang............Akshar.A..........6............0..................146.........24.33
Armadeep.........Naivasha.........4.............1....................73.........24.33

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Top 10 Batsmen by Total runs:

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Batsman..........Team.......Inngs.....N/O.....HS....Total......Avg........50s
Jogesh..........Akshar.A........5............1.........88.....160......40.00.......1
Divyang........Akshar.A........6...........0.........70.....146.......24.33.......1
Vishal.............Eldoret..........4...........1.........50.....116........38.67.......1
Jignesh..........Kericho..........6...........0........61......116........19.33........1
Pragnesh......Akshar.A.........6...........1.........54......99........19.80.......1
Viral..............Akshar.B.........4..........0.........41......97........24.25.......0

Jigar..............Kericho...........3..........0.........58......93........31.00.......1
Sunil..............Akshar.B.........5..........0.........57......85........17.00.......1
Ketan..............V.O.C.............6..........0.........45......85.........14.17.......0

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No surprises that the four semi finalists were the two Akshar teams, Eldoret and Kericho.

Bhudia On Song As Herning Promoted

I have been poor in covering Kenyans abroad recently for which I apologise. Especially as Kenya's representative in Denmark, Amit Bhudia hit an unbeaten 131 on Saturday to secure Herning promotion to the Elite division next year. A fantastic effort from him to cap off what has at times been a difficult season. Herning will be well pleased with their season having won 10 of the 11 games played so far. Fantastic for Amit that he was able to repay their faith in him with that fine knock. No idea whether he intends to return to Kenya during the Danish winter, but if so should be a prime target for any of the Kenyan clubs. It would probably not be a bad move either considering the selectors are still trying to find a batting line up that is capable of getting Kenya big scores.

If I Were A Sponsor

Tom Tikolo has recently been quoted in the Nation as saying that Cricket Kenya are still finding it hard to attract a corporate sponsor. There are no doubt many reasons for this, not least the image of cricket that remains in Kenya as the legacy of the KCA. With this in mind, I have thought a bit about how I would respond to an approach if I were a sponsor and the questions I would ask before I decided to commit to sponsoring Kenyan cricket.

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First would be a guarantee that the accounts will be made accessible to auditors for random checks to ensure any money I spent was not being misapropriated. After the last regime, this would be high on a list of worries.

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Then comes the matter of exposure. How much will I get as a sponsor of the national team? This really should be a strong argument in favour from CK. They have so far this year ensured a full calendar, and with the WCL, World Cup and expanded Intercontinental Cup, there will be ample coverage of the team and by association its sponsors.

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Performance would be the worrying factor. So far this has not been great, but we are in a rebuilding phase and this needs to be looked at long term. If we are weak now and I provide sponsorship, can CK tell me how they intend to strengthen the side so they start to win more? CK need to make me understand the difference in expectation when playing Test sides to Associates and that a fighting loss against a Test side can still be seen from a positive light. Also, with enough exposure, even a team that loses lots initially is still attractive to a sponsor so long as it improves. If it could cause an upset, and Kenya's World Cup history indicates this is a possibility, then the sponsor could get a huge amount of publicity by association.

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I would want to know what steps have been taken/are planned to improve the domestic structure. No CEO is going to want to commit money to a venture that does not have a solid support structure and with cricket this means a sound and growing player base. I would want to know when I could expect to see a national domestic comp so that my brand would get nationwide exposure. This ties in with improving the national side as well. I would want my brand to be seen as making a difference.

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Similarly with junior development. Billions are spent annually in marketing to children worldwide and this is a potentially huge incentive for a sponsor. For it to be attractive however, again there would have to be a concrete plan whereby CK could show me how they will spread the game to more children and thus increase my exposure to that market. Kenya has huge potential in its youth, but before I put money towards it, I want to know my investment will give returns.

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Finally, I would want to know how cricket Kenya intend to promote my product once I do decide to sponsor them. As yet, they do not seem to have a promotions officer nor a way of getting my name out there. There is a website, but I would want it regularly updated so that my logo would keep being seen by repeat and new visitors. Static websites attract no traffic and this means me, the sponsor is missing out. I would want to know how CK intend to approach marketing to the media and public and how this will reflect on my company.

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Overall, there are plenty of reasons for me to look at sponsoring Kenyan cricket, not least its potential for growth. It would be great to be associated with that and to have my name at the World Cup. However, there are also plenty of potential pitfalls and I would need a way around these and a plan for future growth clearly mapped out. In short, prove to me you are an opportunity, not a liability and I'll come on board.

Under the microscope

With the recent losses the Kenya team have suffered at the hands of Bangladesh and then the Australian acadamy, there are not surprisingly questions being asked by various members of the media as to why. It is however irritating to see articles such as the one yesterday in the nation attacking Cricket Kenya for allowing the development projects started by the KCA to go to waste, when as Martin Williamson points out in a much more balanced article, the whole of cricket was allowed to do the same under the KCA. Why some in the media are not more supportive of Cricket Kenya and are still trying to promote what was essentially the regime that brought Kenyan cricket to its knees smacks of self interest rather than interest in the game or the common good.

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As Williamson rightly points out, no one claims the new regime under Samir Inamdar has all the answers, but at least they are working hard to try to repair the damage done. I am however interested in what they have so far done in terms of restarting the youth program, for that is what will be they key as to whether Kenyan cricket has a long-term future. Williamson's article states that there has been difficulty getting the game reintroduced to schools. This makes me wonder if the right avenues are being approached.

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As far as I understand, there are a core of private, cricket playing schools in Nairobi and upcountry that play to a fairly high standard. At prep school level these include the likes of Kenton, Banda, Pembroke and Braeburn amongst others. Have, I wonder, CK approached these schools to see what they can do to help grow the game. They already play each other throughout the Christmas term and so the basics of a league are already set up. These schools also have the facilities and staff that could potentially help less well set up schools in their region. It may be that these schools are not prepared to help, but if the games they play could in some way be used to spread the game to other school children, the opportunity should be siezed with both hands.

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Cricket Kenya still have a lot to do, but they would be able to achieve far more if the detractors actually gave them a fair go. It will be a long hard slog to get the game to where we all want it and this will only be achieved if we all work together. Whatever happened to the spirit of Harambee and pulling together?

MSC 'A' Start Well in Coast League

The first two games of the coast league have been played over the last two weekends with MSC A in action both weekends and recording wins over first their B team and then a closer fought victory over Coast Gymkhana by 2 wickets this weekend. The above links should take you to the appropriate stories on the CCA blog which has further details. Credit to Upesh for setting this up, it is great having a second blog out there covering Kenyan cricket and especially one that gives us results and news from the coast. Let's hope it is kept up to date on a more regular basis than Cricket Kenya's has been so far.

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A shame that only six teams are taking part this year. For the area that claims to be the second strongest cricket playing centre in the country, they are looking in grave danger of being overtaken by Rift Valley who not only have more teams due to play in their next competition, but have also started a program with the local schools to increase the long-term player numbers. The CCA really need to do something similar as they have the potential to produce good players for the national team, but who will never get the chance unless the game is actively grown. This is the region in which cricket was first played in Kenya over 100 years ago and it must be encouraged to get back on track.