Kenyans dominate associate rankings

The December rankings for non-test teams have just been released by Cricket Europe and it is good to see Kenya topping all of the lists. After winning the ODI series 3-0 against Bermuda, the national team not only keep the number one spot, but extend their lead at the top of both the overall team rankings and the High Performance Program (HPP) Team Rankings. With critics and detractors from certain circles still making noises about Kenya going backwards, it is good to see the team's improvement and dominance in Associate cricket getting the recognition it truly deserves. True, Scotland and Ireland are having a break at the moment, so have not had any opportunity to close the gap, but this will change soon enough when Scotland play Bangladesh and then the tri series in January (Kenya-Scotland-Canada) and the WCL come around. I both hope for and expect Kenya to still be sitting at the top of both tables after those events.

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The Official ICC ranking does not take into account teams not on the rankings list, so Kenya does not get the opportunity to improve that standing until the World Cup warm-up match against the Windies in March. The less said about this rankings system the better, although should they include Kenya on the list of Associate teams, we would again be clear leaders.

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While the team's consolidation of it's position is reassuring, the individual player rankings are also worthy of note. Steve Tikolo, previously ranked 22nd on the Cricket Europe Batting rankings takes his true position at number 1 on the back of his masterly display against Bermuda. He also rises to 58th on the ICC top 100 batsmen list with 503 points. Great to see the best batsman outside Test cricket in his rightful spot, lets hope he can continue that dominance come January and beyond.

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Tanmay Mishra also climbs on both lists, jumping 13 places to 8th on the Cricket Europe rankings, while coming in at a career best of 77th on the ICC list with 432 points. This places him as the second highest ranked Kenyan on both lists, a great achievement in his first real year as an international. Other Kenyan batsmen to feature are Hitesh Modi and Thomas Odoyo who come in at equal 23rd on Cricket Europe. Odoyo also makes the ICC list in 83rd place with 401 points. Modi and Kennedy Obuya both slip off the ICC top 100.

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If Kenya's batsmen look good, they are outshone quite easily by the bowlers, 3 of whom are in the top 5 of Cricket Europe's bowler rankings. Top of the list is Thomas Odoyo, who overtakes teammate Peter Ongondo. Odoyo's move comes after career best bowling figures against Bermuda and is matched by a career high 552 points on the ICC top 100 bowling list which puts him at 43th position overall. A great effort from a player who seems to be finding his peak at just the right time for his country. Peter Ongondo drops a couple of places to 4th in the Cricket Europe rankings after failing to keep up his wicket taking records against Bermuda, but still makes the ICC top 50, coming in at 47th with 494 points. The one to watch for Kenya is Hiren Varaiya who is only in 5th position on the Criekt Europe charts because of the lack of matches he's played. Similarly, he is just outside the ICC top 100, but if he maintains up his strike rate and economy, it will not be long before he will be right at the top of both lists. Tikolo (15th), Kamande (23rd) and Odhiambo (26th) round out the other Kenyans in Cricket Europe's top 30. Tikolo sits at 74th on the ICC list and is kept company by two bowlers who have not really featured for us this year, but keep their positions due to their past efforts, Collins Obuya (85th) and Martin Suji (96th).

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With the national team taking a month off now, some of these positions may have slipped a bit by the time the January rankings come out. In the mean while, congratulations to all those who have made the lists. Here's hoping they can surpass their efforts in 2007.

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Don't forget also that the Player of the year poll is running on the Cricket Europe - Kenya page. The winner goes into a poll against the winner of each of the other countries for Associate player of the year. So log on, get behind our players and show your support.

Tikolo talks it up

Kenya's captain has been talking to the standard, and has his eyes firmly set on reaching the second round of the World Cup in the West Indies. While expressing confidence about beating Canada, Kenya will also need to beat either England or New Zealand to get through to the group stage. Tikolo knows that Kenya will need to be at their best to do so:
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"We’ll have to raise our game a notch higher to be able to beat England or New Zealand. Both have balanced sides, who are good with the ball and the bat, but our team has some good upcoming players who are up to the task," he said.
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looking at the performance so far of Canada, it is easy to see why the captain is upbeat about our chances against them, but we must guard agaist over complacency. January and the WCL will see us play them again before we meet them in St Lucia, so that match will take on added importance. A win would be a big psychological blow for Kenya, but when it comes down to it, the World Cup game will be the one that counts. If Tikolo's aims are to come to fruition, it will be a match we cannot lose.
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In the interview, Tikolo mentions "scrappy" preparations, but the facts are that this time around, Kenya will actually be much better prepared. We have played many more ODIs over the last year than we even thought about prior to 2003 and the Intercontinental Cup games and Winter Training Camp will have given a much needed boost in techniques.
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Between now and the start of the World Cup, Kenya play 11, hopefully 12 ODIs (depending on qualifying for the WCL final). One of these will be against the Windies in Jamaica as part of the official warm up games, the rest will be against Associate opposition. There are pros and cons to this, the most obvoius being that Kenya really do not play any matches against teams of the same percieved quality as England and New Zealand until that game in Jamaica. There are however positives. One is that associate cricket continues to improve, so the gulf is not as great as many, including I'd say the Test teams, think. Second, Kenya should win the majority of those games. If they do this, they will go into the World Cup on a roll and knowing what it feels like to win. Last time, it was our team spirit that helped get us through. If we can reproduce that and couple it with the improvements, there is no reason we cannot upset at least one Test side come March. It will take hard work, but Tikolo and Roger Harper the coach know that. Lets just hope they can back up the talk with success on the pitch.

Kricket 4 Kenya

I came across the link to this fantastic site on the Friends of Kenya Cricket - UK site that has finally been updated (if only Cricket Kenya would follow suite!).

Basically, Kricket 4 Kenya is a new charity set up in th UK to collect sporting equipment, especially cricket gear, for under-privileged children in Kenya. It has been set up by MWR Solicitors in response to the current humanitarian situation in kenya and if you live in in England, it needs your support. If you do not have any equipment to donate, you can still help: Talk about it, tell your friends, let your local school know. It will end up making a huge difference to the children in Kenya and will hopefully help to bring on a new generation of Kenyan players who will now have a chance rather than nothing.

Kricket 4 Kenya has the backing of Cricket Kenya, so get in touch and 'Be a sport and donate today'.

For those of you in Sydney, Australia who would like to help, we are also collecting, so drop me a line (the email link is in the 'profile page').

Note: I am not officially linked with K4K, but it is a bloody good idea and as we had already recieved some donations here, hopefully we can join forces.

How About Hiren

In my last post, I commented on Thomas Odoyo getting into the top 100 for strike rate for bowlers in ODIs. Looking a bit further at the stats, there is a second Kenyan bowler who could well get onto this list in the next year or so. Young left arm spinner, Hiren Varaiya certainly entered the international scene with a bang when he took 3/24 on debut against Canada, but his impact is not really put in perspective until compared with the best:

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At the top of the all time most economical bowlers list is Joel Garner with 3.09. Second is R.Willis of England with 3.28. Hiren Varaiya is currently sitting on an economy rate of 3.15 which would put him just behind Garner. True, Varaiya has only played 6 matches and is yet to face the much tougher opposition of the Test nations, but this is a fantastic start from the youngster. To get on the top 100 list, he needs to bowl a minimum of 1500 balls. At the moment, he is about a fifth of the way there with 308. Bowling an average of 8 and a half overs per match so far, he needs to play another 23 at this rate before he has enough to qualify.

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Regards strike rate, he also has a little way to go, needing 50 wickets to get into the top 100. To date, he has taken 12 wickets at an average of 2 per match. Continuing at this rate will take him 19 matches before he qualifies. This assumes of course that his strike rate continues to rank him amongst the best. So far, his 12 wickets have come at a strike rate of 25.66. Compare this with the best ever: Shane bond (NZ) with 26.85.

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I am not for one moment saying Varaiya is one of the best bowlers ever. To claim that, he will have to prove himself against quality opposition over a long period of time. What I am saying is: Watch this space! Depending on the performance in the World Cup, Kenya can expect to play somewhere in the region of 20 ODIs over the next 12 months. During the next year and a half, it is therefore likely that Hiren will have bowled enough overs and hopefully taken enough wickets to qualify for both top 100 lists. How far up he will slot in and where he will end up at the end of his career will depend on how he improves and who Kenya play as they progress. Whatever happens, it will be a fascinating story to follow as it unfolds. Doubtless there will be many great players to come out of the Associate nations over the next 10 years, but Hiren Varaiya is certainly the one I will watch with the most interest in the near future.

Odoyo in top 100 for Strike Rate

Caught up in the euphoria of belting Bermuda 3-0 and all the personal milestones that came with it, I missed perhaps the most significant of all for the Associates. Thomas Odoyo took his ODI wicket tally to 86 in 82 matches to take him into the top 100 in terms of strike rate in One Day Internationals. Bowling wise, he is now the first Associate player to make this step, hopefully the vanguard of a whole host who are going to join him from all of the Associate countries in the years ahead. In terms of batting, Kennedy Otieno's 144 against Bangladesh has him on joint 58th place in highest individual totals. While Odoyo makes it into the top 100 in terms of strike rate, he still has a little way to go in terms of overall wickets taken. Currently the 100th spot is held by Azhar Mahmood of Pakistan with 122 wicket, a target that is drawing ever closer.

Getting into the top 100 bowlers by strike rate is great achievement from a player who is currently in the best form of his life. Tim Brooks, whose article on Cricket Europe brought this to my attention looks forward to seeing him take his 100th wicket during the World Cup. I look forward to seeing him take it a lot earlier than that: in Kenya this January during the WCL. Maybe he can look to be taking his 120th wicket in the World Cup and getting on that top 100 list as well. Go Thomas!