OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE

Cricket Kenya's slow-motion implosion, and Lamichanne's CPL gig

by Bertus de Jong • Last updated on

Lamichhane has somehow contrived to do something newsworthy in each of the past five weeks © ICC

It's pretty much high season for Associates cricket these coming weeks. With the World Cup Qualifier underway in Zimbabwe, the top flight were in action on Sunday. Meanwhile, there was more news on the structure of qualification for the 2020 World T20 in Australia, which got underway in Buenos Aires last week, a few names from the fringes cropping up in the CPL draft and, a depressingly regular fixture, more bad news for African Associates.

Starting with the bad news, Cricket Kenya's slow-motion implosion shambles on with news out of Nairobi that the elections triggered by Chair Jackie Janmohammed and Development director Abhijeet Sarkar's resignations last week may be delayed, with a group of ex-players and other stakeholders tendering a legal protest and calling on the new Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Achesa and the ICC to launch an investigation into alleged incompetence and misappropriation of funds at the beleaguered board. The group, which includes current and former Kenya greats like Collins Obuya and Steve Tikolo, alleges that the current administrative structure is not fit for purpose, and demands that elections be postponed until a thorough enquiry is held and a new constitution adopted.

Meanwhile in further fall-out from World Cricket League Division 2, Namibia look set to say goodbye to the long-serving Sarel Burger and Craig Williams, the pair following Gerrie Snyman in calling time on their international careers. With Burger's departure, the last of the Namibia side that contested the 2003 World Cup leaves the international stage, leaving the Africans with a long process of rebuilding ahead as they face an uncertain international future. Having narrowly missed out on the World Cup Qualifiers, Namibia's future schedule depends largely on what forms the coming cycle's Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League Championship may take, if any. As yet no decision on either has been taken in Dubai.

They can at least be assured of some action in October, when they start their campaign to qualify for the 2020 World T20 on the lowest local rung of the recently (mostly) announced qualification ladder, the Southern Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier in Botswana. That competition is one of 12 such tournaments to be held around the world in 2018 in Africa (3 tournaments), Asia (2), East Asia Pacific (2), Europe (3) and the Americas (2). The sub-regional lead into 5 regional finals to be held in 2019, with 7 or 8 qualifiers (depending on who, if anyone claims a bye on hosting rights) advancing to the global qualifier.

The first (and smallest) of them is already done and dusted, with Bermuda and the Cayman Islands advancing from the first Americas sub-regional. Hosts Argentina were the only team to miss out at the three-team tournament, held in Buenos Aires last week, after losing all four of their matches. Bermuda narrowly emerged the victors, splitting honours in their two matches against the Caymans but pipping them on Net Run Rate.

Though the full schedule for the remaining sub-regionals has not quite been nailed-down, there are a couple of remarkable venue allocations that have been made public, notably an inaugural tournament for Rwanda's striking new ground at Kigali, the Kicukiro Oval, which will play host to the East African sub-regional. Meanwhile the first stages of European qualification will take place in the Netherlands, with the KNCB successfully bidding to host all three six-team pools simultaneously in late August.

The winning bid will be some consolation for the Dutch, whose World Cup qualification hopes suffered an early blow at Harare on Sunday (March 5). After holding Ireland to a competitive but chaseable total of 268 in their opening match of the World Cup Qualifier, the Netherlands made a mess of a rain-affected chase, sliding to a 93-run defeat. Likewise, struggling to chase after mid-match showers were Group A rivals Papua New Guinea, who slid to a D/L defeat to the UAE. Despite bowling the Emiratis out for a sub-par 221, PNG could only manage 113 in reply, chasing a revised 170-run target.

Down in Bulawayo meanwhile Nepal put in a creditable performance with the bat against hosts Zimbabwe, but having conceded a mammoth 380 in the first innings, creditable wasn't going to cut it. Twin centuries from Brendan Taylor and Sikander Raza did the damage, and Nepal never looked like getting near the total. There were nonetheless some positives to take from the game, notably twin fifties in the middle-order for Sharad Vesawkar and Aarif Sheikh, and an impressive 30 from the teenaged Rohit Kumar.

But there was far more to celebrate for Associates fans over at Bulawayo Athletic Club, where Scotland sprung an opening upset on favourites Afghanistan. The bowlers laid the groundwork, an incisive spell at first-change from Richie Berrington brought three wickets and put the Afghans on the back foot, after a counterattacking 149-run stand between Mohammad Nabi and Najib Zadran, the Scots had the better of the death too, Brad Wheal and Sayfaan Sharif finding late wickets to bowl Afghanistan out for 255 in the last over.

It looked likely to be enough when young Mujeeb Zadran removed openers Cross and Coetzer early in the chase. By the time the next wicket would fall, however, we'd be 37 overs and 208 runs further and Afghanistan would be well out of the game. Ably supported by Berrington, it was Calum MacLeod's doing. His imperious, unbeaten 157 took Scotland home with 16 balls and 7 wickets to spare, in the process showing the world how to deal with Rashid Khan. In the course of his innings he faced 31 deliveries from the world's best white-ball bowler and took him for 49 runs. The result leaves Group B wide open, and indeed, with points carrying over, will have prompted some hasty odds-recalculations for the Super Sixes too.

Finally of course it wouldn't be an Outside the Circle without some mention of Nepal's young legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has somehow contrived to do something newsworthy in each of the past five weeks. Though he fared little better than the rest of Nepal's bowlers in their drubbing at the hands of Raza and Taylor, he will have been buoyed by the news of a second T20 franchise contract to add to his deal with the Delhi Daredevils, with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots picking him up in the CPL draft.

He was one of eight Associate players picked up in the draft, with estranged Netherlands all-rounder Tom Cooper the only other pick from outside North America. Canada's Hamza Tariq returns for the Trinbago Knight Riders, whilst fully six USA players also getting deals. Jaskaran Malhotra and Sunny Sohal were signed up by the St Lucia Stars, Elmore Hutchinson and former skipper Steven Taylor join the Jamaica Tallawahs whilst Ibrahim Khaleel will join Lamichhane at St Kitts & Nevis. Saurabh Netravalkar was also offered deal by Guyana, though it's not entirely clear whether he'll be taking it up.

When young Lamichhane first heard about his Daredevils deal last month, it apparently inspired him to turn in a Man of the Tournament winning performance at WCL Division 2. With Nepal stumbling out of the blocks at the Qualifier yesterday, his team mates will be hoping for a similar effect in the weeks ahead.

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