Tony Munro
The next North West African Championships have been delayed to April 2010 due to the global financial crisis.
The economic downturn may also see the tournament restricted to its traditional participants, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, said the president of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Kwesi Sagoe.
"It is likely that a review of participants would be undertaken given the cost of the event and the relative development standard of each of the North-West African countries. No decision has however been made on this yet," Sagoe told Cricinfo.
In recent years, Morocco and Mali have taken part with Mali experiencing some heavy defeats. At one stage, following the change of the tournament's name to the "North West African Championships", Egypt and Libya had been mentioned as possible future participants.
What a shame if Morocco - lately excluded from Malawi by Qatari officials - suffer this double blow. And when I think how much hard work retired Africa cricket development supremo Hoosain Ayob put into getting the game going in Mali, that too is a bitter disappointment. I well remember his excitement about going to Mali when I met him in his office at Ilovo five years ago. Is this one where the ICC can step in, I wonder? It would be very sad for this competition to die.
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