Kenya U19 the only bright spark in gloomy year in Kenya cricket

Kenya’s cricket under-19 team was the only bright spot for the country in a year dominated by off field wrangles and poor results on the pitch.

The youngsters qualified for the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand between January 13 to February 3 this year. They achieved this feat by topping qualifiers held in Nairobi that brought together Botswana. Ghana, Uganda and hosts Kenya. Uganda and Kenya tied on points but Kenya came out on top with superior run rate.

The Kenyan lads last qualified for the global showpiece 16 years ago in New Zealand under tactician Tito Odumbe. The 2002 side had players like Ragheb Aga, Alfred Luseno, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Hiren Varaiya among others.

The under-19 team coach Jimmy Kamande says that it took him two years to assemble the squad that won the qualifiers and went on to participate in the World cup. “It took me at least 18 months to come with the team that qualified for World Cup in New Zealand last year. I walked around clubs watching youngsters in action as well as scouting in school league matches,” he told Nation Sport in November.

As the youth team reveled in global limelight in New Zealand, the senior team was in free fall in Namibia during the ICC World Cricket League Division Two that ran from February 8-15.

Kenya lost all their matches against United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Canada, Namibia and Oman. The thrashing saw the national team finish last and subsequently were relegated to the ICC World Cricket League Division Three.

The embarrassing results by the national team in Windhoek saw Cricket Kenya chairperson Jackie Janmohammed and director of development Raja Sarkar quit the board. Their exit was soon followed by the resignations of national team coach Thomas Odoyo and skipper Rakep Patel.

CK vice chairman Harpar Singh Sehmi and treasurer Ravi Kaul tried steering the teetering ship as part of the Cricket Kenya Interim Committee. Kaul would soon throw in the towel in August leaving Sehmi alone on the board.

Kaul’s exit was immediately felt as there was no funds to run CK’s operations and programmes. Staff went without pay for months as coaching and development ground to halt.

The famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of Lord’s, England toured the country in October for a series of friendly matches. Majority of national team players boycotted the series giving the under-19 lads an opportunity to represent the country against the tourists.

In November, there was drama when national team selectors decided to replace some members of the national team preparing for ICC World Cricket League Division Three in Oman with under-19 boys. Senior players threatened to boycott the tour unless their peers were reinstated in the team. CK officials gave in to the pressure as they dropped the youngsters and gave the senior rebellious group tickets to Oman.

However, it was not all smooth sailing to Oman. The senior players again threatened to boycott the trip unless their outstanding dues were settled. Former CK chairperson Janmohammed stepped in and paid the arrears ensuring that Kenya was represented in the ICC tournament.

As the national office reeled from one crisis to the other, it was business as usual at Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA). Kanbis clinched the inaugural Super Division league, wining with 48 points, 15 points ahead of second placed Swamibapa. Stray Lions were third with 29 points.

The NPCA fixtures secretary, Narendra Patel, announced that the two-day 75 overs matches which were supposed to take place at the end of the league will now be held after the Twenty20 tournament set to kick off on January 13.