Kenya: Nation’s Chances of Qualifying for Tournaments Keep Getting Slimmer

Clay Muganda

3 July 2011

Nairobi — It has been a week of hits and misses, both at home and abroad – and even though our very own Tom Sears stuck his neck out for the minnows in Hong Kong, back at home, his house was on fire.

Now that he is back, he may just as well put out the fire, and steady the ship.

Mr Sears (pictured right), Cricket Kenya CEO was attending the International Cricket Council annual conference in Hong Kong, where the Associates were given a World Cup lifeline when an earlier decision limiting the number of teams participating in the World Cup was rescinded.

Before the conference, it had been decided that only the 10 Test-playing nations would participate in the World Cup, but that decision was overturned, and the Associates, derogatorily called minnows, will now participate in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

There is still time, you may say, and Kenya will qualify for that World Cup, but considering the current state of affairs in which players and the Board members are embroiled in some sort of a cold war, the national side’s chances of qualifying for any tournament keep getting slimmer by the hour.

Fair chance

The earlier decision to keep the Associates away from the WC had earned the ICC many enemies, and Ireland, which proved its mettle in the 2011 WC – where Kenya lost every single match, thanks to intermittent internecine wars – urged it to give developing cricketing countries a fair chance to join cricket’s elite.

Last week, ICC decided in favour of the minnows, and even before the latter could start celebrating, the governing body made a decision that sent them in to a tizzy: The number of Affiliates/ Associates to participate in the World Twenty20 was reduced from six to two.

Haroon Lorgat, the CEO of ICC has said that the decision to reduce the teams was taken due to “structural issues” like costing.

Since the number of teams to the 50-over World Cup was increased to, or rather retained at 14, something had to give – and the World Twenty20 it was.

But Mr Sears was not convinced, and he made his displeasure known. “The two events should not be linked but (should) be treated in isolation and on their own merits. In terms of growing the game globally, the Board has taken a huge step backwards with this decision.”Oh, another tournament that has been added to the ICC calendar is World Test Championship.

Just like the CK which has been coming up with a raft of changes, the proposal sounds better though, ICC did its bit in Hong Kong and even had a re-look at the Decision Review System (DRS), which was initially not favoured by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, a body that makes ICC sit up and listen when it speaks.

DRS made mandatory

The DRS has now been made mandatory for all international Test and ODI matches, and considering its cost, the ICC chief said a sponsor might be needed to ensure it is fully implemented.

Another decision that the ICC made concerns its member boards. It has given them two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference to improve governance within the game.

That decision will mainly affect the boards of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka because in Pakistan, the country’s president appoints the chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board, in Bangladesh all Bangladesh Cricket Board presidents are appointed by the government and in Sri Lanka, the board effectively answers to the sports ministry.

Nearer home, the Cricket Kenya Board answers to no one.

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