Nepal's coaching vacancy, and Associate issues

Nepal will soon be seeking a new national coach, following the decision by the present incumbent, Roy Dias, to vacate the role. Speaking after Nepal's recent failure to qualify for the ICC Trophy, Dias told BTTW: "I have been in this job for around four years now and I think five years is the right time to move on. For the boys too, they'll probably appreciate a fresh approach."

Dias, a former Sri Lankan Test batsman, is keen to work with Cricket Sri Lanka's Under 19 and Academy teams as a batting coach, but said the main obstacle is the length of the contract. "I obviously don't want to leave this and only have a few months in the new position."

Ironically, Dias was frustrated by Nepal's batting in the ICC Trophy qualifying tournament in Malaysia earlier this month, where they agonisingly lost the semi-final to Fiji by three runs. "The batsmen play on very slow pitches in Nepal and don't have confidence against the short ball," he said. "The batsmen need to sent to play on pitches outside the country."

Papua New Guinea, winners of the ICC Trophy qualifying tournament, are set to play matches in Cairns in northern Queensland, as part of their preparation for the ICC Trophy.

ICC East Asia-Pacific Development Officer, Martin Gleeson, said nothing was final, but PNG was likely to play several matches on turf wickets in May. PNG Cricket Board official, Api Leka, said the Board was yet to decide whether PNG will play any matches in the northern hemisphere just prior to the ICC Trophy, which starts on July 1.

Meanwhile, as expected, the former West Indies batsman, Gus Logie, was last week announced as Bermuda's national coach for the ICC Trophy. Logie will begin his six-month contract on April 1, and his first major task will be to oversee a 10-day camp for the Bermudian national squad in his native Trinidad & Tobago. His role will also entail junior development work in Bermuda.

The resurrection of the World Cricket League and funding for newly promoted Associates will be among the issues to be discussed at this week's ICC Executive Committee meeting in Delhi.

An internal memo distributed among Associate members suggests that the ICC Executive Committee will assess whether the WCL proposal - involving a convoluted tournament structure intended to provide leading non-Test countries with annual tournament play, while doubling as a qualifying path for the 2011 World Cup - should be implemented.

The finite detail is undecided, although the basic concept would turn next year's regional qualifying tournaments into the first stage of a three-division league which culminates at the 12-team 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier - in effect a refashioned ICC Trophy. The WCL was first scheduled to take place in 1993, but was cancelled after funding for the Associates was cut back following a dispute between Global Cricket Corporation and the ICC.

It's a bit like being invited to an exclusive party, only to find you're offered dry crackers rather than caviar. The six ICC Affiliates coveting Associate membership (Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Japan, Kuwait and Thailand) can expect disappointment in the coming weeks, as their reward for attaining Affiliate status will not be as bountiful as originally thought. The internal memo suggests "new Associate members should be entitled full rights except that they would only receive 50% of the available base annual grant funding for the first two years." That amounts to $27,000 per annum instead of $54,000. If passed this week, and then at July's annual conference, the reduced sum would be applicable to the new Associates.

Meanwhile, the ICC's membership should reach the 100-mark next year if Guernsey, Jersey, Mali and Slovenia are successful in their Affiliate membership applications this July. That will take the total to 96, with Guernsey and Jersey tipped to accelerate to Associate membership after only a year or two as Affiliates.

The next edition will feature the latest ICC Trophy news, Clayton Lambert's visit to Belize, a preview of the Bali Sixes, and an examination of the strengths of the six countries seeking a cut of the Associate pie.