Beyond the Test World
Janmohammed faces uphill battle to arrest slide
The election of Jackie Janmohammed as Cricket Kenya chairman comes at a time when Kenyan cricket is not only at its lowest ebb since the heady days of the 2003 World Cup but is seemingly only heading in one direction
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The election of Jackie Janmohammed as Cricket Kenya chairman comes at a time when Kenyan cricket is not only at its lowest ebb since the heady days of the 2003 World Cup but is seemingly only heading in one direction. She faces a tough battle to arrest that slide, let alone turn it round.
While the board's finances are sound - in stark contrast to when Samir Inamdar, who she replaces, took over from the discredited Kenyan Cricket Association in 2005 - the national team is a mess both on and off the field and the domestic structure in the country remains poor.
Janmohammed, a respected Nairobi lawyer, is no newcomer to Kenyan cricket and had links to the KCA, where she was for a time its legal advisor, which she will have to work hard to cast off. To that end it is important that some of the characters who were more heavily involved in the board at that time - and they have been spotted on the periphery in recent months - are not brought back into the fold either officially or unofficially.
She also faces a difficult time internationally. By the time Sharad Ghai and the KCA were removed from office in 2005, Kenya were close to being international pariahs, dogged by endless financial problems, player strikes and internal bickering. Inamdar's greatest achievement was to present the country as somewhere worth investing in, and so successful was he that he won a place on the full ICC board.
Full postUSACA eyes Associates in scaled-down league
Months after plans were outlined for a professional Twenty20 competition in the USA that was going to be so impressive there was talk of it impacting on the English season, it seems the reality of finances and availability has led to a marked
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Months after plans were outlined for a professional Twenty20 competition in the USA that was going to be so impressive there was talk of it impacting on the English season, it seems the reality of finances and availability has led to a marked downscaling of the scheme.
Rather than the big-name international stars originally suggested, USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty has said that organisers will be looking for the best players from Associate and Affiliate countries to form the core of the competition. But that approach could also have major pitfalls by bringing USACA into conflict with other boards.
The competition is due to start in July 2013 and while Dainty admitted there had been unforeseen problems, he insisted it was still very much on course. "It will be a truly global set-up and emerging players - from the likes of Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, Kenya, wherever - will be given plenty of opportunity," Dainty told ESPNcricinfo. "In the USA we don't have this big pool of players so we will tap into the Associate and Affiliates and we also have New Zealanders to draw on. It's in this way we hope the cricketing world will support our efforts.
"It'll be a showcase and a stage where their players can be playing against the best. There will be financial incentives for their players and I don't think there will be a problem. It's not a long season and flying a player from Ireland or Scotland every week is certainly not a very expensive proposition."
Full postKenya appoints first female chairman
Cricket Kenya has created a piece of history by electing a woman as its new chairman, the first female to head a national cricket board.
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Cricket Kenya has created a piece of history by electing a woman as its new chairman, the first female to head a national cricket board.
Jackie Janmohammed, a Nairobi-based lawyer, was unanimously elected to replace Samir Inamdar, who held the post for seven-and-a-half years.
"I take this opportunity to thank the cricket fraternity for placing their trust for leadership under me," Janmohammed said. "I would like to make a covenant of uniting everyone for the benefit of the sport and my only agenda will be to grow the sport and achieve measurable results."
Full postAnother twenty in Qatar
Continuing their policy of reaching out to Arabian youth, the Qatar Cricket Association have been to Ali Bin Abi Taleb School in Doha and met with schoolchildren and teachers there
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Continuing their policy of reaching out to Arabian youth, the Qatar Cricket Association have been to Ali Bin Abi Taleb School in Doha and met with schoolchildren and teachers there. School principal Fahad Al-Muslamani promised the QCA the school's “full co-operation to promote cricket and help the boys give serious attention to the coaching classes” to be carried out soon.
Coaching classes have been held on the school premises twice a week for a month, with 30 boys involved. The 20 most promising cricketers selected will now be given further instruction by a batch of the 20-ACC qualified coaches active in the country.
The Ali Bin Abi Taleb team will take part in an inter-school tournament early in 2013. The QCA have recently completed a 12-team U-19 Schools Cricket Tournament. QCA General Secretary Manzoor Ahmad said: “We’re very happy with so many schools figuring in this competition. This tournament aims at promoting the game in Qatar and cementing the foundation of cricket at the grass-root level.” Asian Cricket Council
Full postTowards Mongolia
Cricket and Mongolia are two things that have not been cited in the same sentence too often in the history of the world
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Cricket and Mongolia are two things that have not been cited in the same sentence too often in the history of the world. They will be yoked together more often from now on. Aminul Islam has been to Liaoning Province, neighbouring vast Mongolia, continuing his mission to bring cricket to China. His latest, month-long, tour of the country has taken him to Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chaoyang, Linhai and Shanghai.
“Cricket development in China is progressing at consistent pace and as per the plan,” says Aminul, whose four-province, 18,000 mile tour of the mainland had him acting as a Match Referee at the ACC Twenty20 Women’s Asia Cup, coaching, providing technical support to the Chinese Cricket Association and generally communicating the merits of cricket every single day.
The season’s winding down in China now, winter sits heavily on the north and interior of the country, and administrators are starting to make plans for the year ahead. In between Beijing and Shenyang, in Liaoning Province, is Chaoyang, “another new city for cricket. The Head of Physical Education and Dean of Shenyang Sport University is working closely with CCA and ACC to introduce cricket in a number of cities in Liaoning province by putting up basic facilities and introducing it into the schools’ curriculum.
Full postNetherlands head to Truro
Netherlands will play one of their CB40 matches in 2013, against Nottinghamshire, at Truro as part of the Cornish Cricket Festival.
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Netherlands will play one of their CB40 matches in 2013, against Nottinghamshire, at Truro as part of the Cornish Cricket Festival.
The match will take place on June 19 and follows on from the inaugural festival in 2012 which included England Women playing India Women.
Cornish Sporting Club’s director, Alan George, said: “For Cornwall to get a league game of this magnitude is amazing for the county and we hope that sports fans will come along to show their support, enjoying what is sure to be a magnificent game. Today’s announcement is major for sport in Cornwall and makes the county the envy of all of the other non professional counties in the UK.”
Richard Cox, the Netherlands chief executive, added: "After hearing such great feedback about the 2012 Cornish Cricket Festival we are looking forward to playing one of our ‘home’ games in front of a packed Cornwall crowd with a great atmosphere. This also allows us to attract more International Cricket to the Netherlands in the June period.”
Full postWorld T20 is a 'Major step forward for Disability Cricket'
England’s Visually Impaired team are in preparing for the first ever Twenty20 World Cup, which will feature eight teams and run from December 2 to 13 in India
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
England’s Visually Impaired team are in preparing for the first ever Twenty20 World Cup, which will feature eight teams and run from December 2 to 13 in India. England are preparing at Edgbaston before flying out to Bangalore on November 26.
The team, which was founded in 2007, has their own head coach and physiotherapist and a squad of 16 has been selected, captained by Warwickshire’s Luke Sugg and featuring James Millard, a 16-year-old from Sussex who will hope to make his debut at the World Cup.
Visually impaired cricket has specifications on the number of players from each sight category in each team. Each player is graded as a B1, B2 or B3 player which refers to the level of vision they have. Four B1 players (players who are completely blind and all wear black-out glasses) must be in the starting 11 with the remaining seven players from the B2 (moderately affected vision) or B3 (lesser affected vision) category.
“The T20 World Cup marks a huge step forwards in disability cricket,” Ian Martin, ECB head of disability cricket, said. “International boards and disability sport charities around the world have united to make this competition possible. We thank the Cricket Association for the Blind in India for hosting this ground-breaking event and hope it is the first of many. All the players and support staff have worked extremely hard to prepare and I wish them all every success.”
Full postDismissed secretary sues USACA for $1.5m
Former USA Cricket Association executive secretary Kenwyn Williams has launched legal action for damages against the board, claiming in excess of $1.5 million for what he claims is action which exposed him to “public contempt, ridicule, aversion and
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
Former USA Cricket Association executive secretary Kenwyn Williams has launched legal action for damages against the board, claiming in excess of $1.5 million for what he claims is action which exposed him to “public contempt, ridicule, aversion and disgrace”.
The papers, published by Williams himself, say the defendants – which include various USACA officials as well as the board’s legal representatives, McGuire Woods – “individually, collectively, wrongly, maliciously and scandalously [acted] to injure Plaintiff’s sterling reputation and good name”.
Williams was suspended by the USACA board, and subsequently dismissed, for a series of posts on USACA branded sites on Facebook and Twitter operated by him which attracted widespread media comment and ridicule. He is also accused of leaking confidential information and of acting in a way McGuire Woods told him was “recklessly [putting] USACA, its board, staff and yourself in contempt of court”.
Williams continues to challenge the legality of the board’s decision.
Full postChannel Islands competition scrapped
The Jersey Cricket Board are hoping an end-of-season tournament between the best teams from Jersey and Guernsey can continue after the Channel Island’s Cricket League was scrapped after nine years at the end of the 2012 season.
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
The Jersey Cricket Board are hoping an end-of-season tournament between the best teams from Jersey and Guernsey can continue after the Channel Island’s Cricket League was scrapped after nine years at the end of the 2012 season.
The 10-team 50-over competition was deemed too much of a drain on the Islands’ resources, with £1,000 quoted as the cost of fulfilling the fixtures, some of whom in the qualifying round were mismatches. For 2013, a one-off match between the winners of each island’s league is likely.
But Ward Jenner, chairman of the Jersey Cricket Board, is hoping the competition can be revived in some form in the future. "My preference is a round of semi-finals and a final," he told BBC Radio Jersey. "That would give local top players and their clubs something to really aim for. Those games would then definitely be high-profile games, attracting the best quality players and hopefully providing the best quality cricket and value for money."
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