The ICC has confirmed the groups for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Canada and Kenya will play in Group A where they will face Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, while Ireland and Netherlands are drawn alongside India, South Africa, England, West Indies and Bangladesh in what on current rankings has to be the easier group.

The ICC has been coming in for a fair amount of sniping of late as a result of teams being unable to take part in its events because of issues with visas. This is not about the game’s big boys, but Associates and Affiliates competing in lower-level tournaments.

Last month Sierra Leone were unable to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers because they could not obtain visas from the Canadian consulate in time; last week Morocco failed to make it to Malawi for a World Cricket League commitment after falling foul of officialdom in Qatar.

There have been those who have heaped the blame on the ICC. It should, so their argument goes, ensure this does not happen and put pressure on the various countries hosting events to, in some way, bypass the usual rules and regulations. It’s almost as if cricket is a special case.

Continue reading "A question of responsibility"

Uganda’s coach at the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers has said the ICC needs to look at where events are staged if players are to be discouraged from jumping ship and seeking political asylum.

Sam Walusimbi was speaking following the disappearance of six of the Uganda squad who remained behind in Toronto when the remainder of the team flew back home. There whereabouts remains unknown, as does that of five of the Afghanistan squad who also went into hiding.

“The ICC may have to re-think where such qualifiers are hosted,” Walusimbi told Uganda’s Observer newspaper. “When we went to Sri-Lanka, no players disappeared. I guess qualifiers should be in less developed countries.”

Continue reading "Uganda coach blames ICC and selectors for defections"

An ICC spokesman has criticised players from Afghanistan and Uganda who absconded at the end of the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in Toronto, and who are believed to be looking to claim asylum in Canada.

Reacting to concerns that the players' action will have a detrimental effect on future tournaments, a spokesman told Cricinfo: "The ICC does not condone the act of players absconding during or after playing in an overseas tournament. Such an action does not benefit anyone: it affects the member from whom the players come as it means it is weaker for subsequent events.

Continue reading "ICC critical following player defections"

An interesting article on Cricket Europe website regarding the ongoing debate surrounding Associates and Affiliates whose national sides are made up of more expats – usually from Asia or the Caribbean – that home-grown players.

It cites Norway as one of the worst examples – not one of the national side is Norwegian born – and if teams were limited to only five players who qualified through the ICC’s generous residency rules, then the Middle East would go from being an up-and-coming force to being wiped off the map.

It is only to be expected that on cricket’s frontiers, ex-pats will sow the seeds of a growing sport. But they must show willing to develop the sport beyond their enclaves and introduce locals both to the game and to national representation, even if this may, at least in the short term, have a detrimental impact on results.

The article cites the example of Japan, who have imposed their own quotas on the number of home-grown players, but the ICC has shown an unwillingness to tackle the problem. Cricinfo has made more than one request to establish how many players in a side have qualified through residency but such questions rarely produce the requisite answer.

There were smiles all around the Hong Kong camp at the Maple Leaf North-West Ground despite ending up on the losing side. Hong Kong managed to qualify for the ICC Under-19 World Cup on the basis of a superior net run-rate and in the process managed to edge out Netherlands and Uganda - who were all tied on points before this game - with one qualifying spot at stake. They lost narrowly by one wicket on Friday against USA - a thrilling last-ball finish - but that was enough to see them through to the World Cup finals.

Click here for the full final-day report

A dramatic day at the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in Toronto on Friday set up a fascinating finish with three teams competing for the final qualification spot separated only by net run-rate.

Netherlands, Uganda and Hong Kong are all tied on six points. Netherlands will face Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong will take on the USA on the final day on Sunday - Saturday is a rest day - while Uganda will anxiously wait for the results of these two matches to know about their fate after having already played their nine matches.

Click here for Cricinfo's full coverage of the tournament

Sierra Leone’s flickering hopes of taking part in the Under-19 World Cup were finally ended when they failed to arrive in Canada before the expiry of the ICC’s September 5 deadline. As a result they were kicked out of a tournament they had done so well to qualify for.

While officially it is said that visa applications for the squad were submitted too late, it is being reported in local newspapers that their non arrival was caused by the refusal by the Canadian consulate in Ghana to issue visas on the grounds there was concern that some of the players would not be willing to return home at the end of the competition. Two Ugandan players sought political asylum after being granted visas to play in an ICC tournament in Australia in 2007, and since then it has proved much harder for some teams to get the documentation necessary for them to play in events.

Afghanistan also had issues with entry visas and arrived in Canada the day after the tournament started, but they have been able to honour all their fixtures.

With Kenya, Africa’s leading Associate side, already in effect barred from the competition after the ICC controversially withdrew their rights to host the 2010 U-19 World Cup, that leaves Uganda, who have struggled to make their mark, as the continent’s only country in the qualifying competition.

In the aftermath of the ICC’s controversial decision to strip Kenya of the rights to host the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, one of Kenya’s main newspapers has wasted no time to stick the knife into a board it has been willing to attack at every opportunity.

In the Standard on Monday, it was claimed that the ICC’s decision had cost Kenya “between US$7 and US$8 million”. Even a basic knowledge of the event would have shown that no board makes cash from hosting such a tournament. The TV rights are already onsold by the ICC, and while the direct costs of hosting (accommodation/transport etc) are picked up by the ICC, any surplus is also kept by them. The country staging the event only gets a hosting fee of around US$250,000.

A day later and a report claimed Cricket Kenya “went to sleep” after securing hosting rights to this tournament in 2006 and that was incapable of working to a “set timetable”. Again, had it bothered to ask the executive, it would have established how much was actually done.

At best this is sloppy reporting. But given what has happened before, there is a suspicion that it was the latest salvo in a long-running campaign to discredit the board.

Ireland completed a 3-0 series win against Kenya in Dublin which sees them move above Zimbabwe into tenth in the ICC’s ODI rankings. Ireland have a rating of 26, three ahead of Zimbabwe (23) and 20 behind ninth-placed Bangladesh (46).

Zimbabwe host Bangladesh next month in a four-match series and can move back into tenth if they win the series.

Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, has launched a stinging attack on the ICC and the way it handles cricket below Test level.

The ICC has sunk millions of pounds into Associate and Affiliate cricket, and established several global competitions, but speaking to the Wisden Cricketer, Deutrom was unimpressed.

“What is the point of Associate cricket?” he said. “Ireland has proved itself head and shoulders above the rest of the Associate nations, winning all the available titles in every form of the game – four-day, 50-over and Twenty20. Yet we are bumping up against a glass ceiling. What does the ICC want us to do? How do we get from high-performance programme to the higher echelons of the world game? There is no road map for us. The issue brings to question the whole mission statement of the ICC High Performance programme: what is it preparing teams for?”

Continue reading "'What's the point of Associate cricket?'"

The ability of sporting bodies to hype their own products should never be underestimated. Rarely does an event seem to pass without it being heralded as the “most watched” in history.

In 2007, the organisers of F1 claimed a global audience of several squillion before someone noted that appeared to assume that everyone in China watched the brief clips on the evening news rather than sat glued to the entire race.

Now Stephen Brenkley in the Independent has pulled up the ICC. Earlier this week it gushed that the World Twenty20 will be seen in 218 countries around the world. He noted that there are only 194 recognised countries on the planet.

Perhaps any readers in Burkina Faso or Tuvalu would let us know how they are enjoying the event?

Laurie Peters, Namibia’s chief executive, has called the ICC’s decision to restructure the Intercontinental Cup as “disappointing” and said that it will have a negative affect on cricket in the country.

Continue reading "Namibia anger as ICC dumps them from cup"

The United Arab Emirates will host the ICC World Twenty20 2010 Qualifier later this year. The event, which is currently scheduled to take place in late October, will also be expanded from its previous staging, in Ireland in 2008.

In addition to featuring the six Associate and Affiliate teams with ODI status - Ireland, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Scotland - it will also include the host team and the United States of America (USA).

The top two sides from the tournament will go forward to join the 10 ICC Full Members in next year's main event, set to take place in the West Indies in April and May at three locations - Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia.

These decisions were made by the ICC Development Committee, which has been meeting this week in Dubai.

"I am thrilled that the ICC Development Committee has again taken an expansive and innovative approach to promoting our great sport by inviting the UAE and USA to join the top six Associate and Affiliate teams at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier later this year," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat. "The committee has given the chance for the top six Associate and Affiliate teams to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20, something they had the chance to do in the equivalent event in Ireland last year, while, at the same time, creating two additional invitational slots for this event."

The ICC has thrown the USA an unexpected lifeline by inviting them to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE later this year.

After several years of infighting, including two periods where the USA Cricket Association was actually suspended by the ICC, the team currently languishes in the lower regions of world cricket.

Continue reading "USA fast-tracked into global big time"

Countries who receive ICC monies but do not field a national side could lose out as the whole way that Associates and Affiliates are funded.

Until now, once a country gained such status its board merely had to show that it functioned to continue receiving annual payments, But as the sums involved grow, the ICC has decided to raise the bar in terms of what they are expected to do and to enforce its own rules more strictly.

If countries do not put out a national side then they will be put on notice at this year's ICC AGM in June, and if the situation remains unremedied they face being suspended in 2011. That gives them three years to correct the situation.

Continue reading "ICC to clamp down on non-performing Affiliates"

ICC Europe has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2008.

Continue reading "ICC Europe announces 2008 awards"

Three ODI venues are among the nine set to host the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, according to the schedule released for the 12-team tournament from April 1 to 19. Willowmoore Park in Benoni and Senwes Park in Potchefstroom will be used for first-round and Super Eight matches, while the final will be held at Centurion's SuperSport Park.

Continue reading "ICC announces schedule for World Cup Qualifiers"

ICC president Haroon Lorgat and special advisor IS Bindra will meet with USA Cricket Association officials in New York later this month.

The visit is the first by any senior ICC official since the board returned from its second suspension following elections last March. The USACA president, Gladstone Dainty, was re-elected despite being seen by many as the major block to progress within the country, and he has continued to court controversy with rumours growing that the USA could even be suspended again after months of inaction.

Continue reading "ICC big guns head to New York"

The schedule for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 which takes place in Argentina next month has been announced. The two finalists will progress to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in April.

Click here for the complete schedule

The ICC has agreed in principle to the launch of Divisions 6 and 7 of the World Cricket League, with the inaugural Division 6 tournament taking place in May/June 2009 in Guernsey and the Division 7 event in September in Singapore. Those venues are subject to confirmation.

The 10 slots have been assigned by region, with three teams from Asia (two for Division 6 and one for Division 7), three teams from Europe (one for Division 6 and two for Division 7), two teams from Africa (one for each division), one team from the Americas (for Division 7) and one team from East Asia-Pacific (also for Division 7).

The teams in Division 7 will, be Guernsey, Nigeria, Japan, Suriname, Bahrain and Gibraltar, while Division Six will consist of Singapore, Botswana, Norway, Malaysia and the top two teams from Division 7.

The Netherlands allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, has been named as the Associate Player of the Year for 2008 at the ICC Awards in Dubai.

Click here for more

A little more than a week after the postponement of the Champions Trophy, Cricinfo can reveal that the ICC will have to either move or postpone its next high-profile event, the World Cup Qualifiers.

The tournament, which involves the leading Associates, is due to be staged in the UAE next April, with the top four countries winning a place at the 2011 World Cup. The event will also be used to establish which six Associates will be granted one-day status for the next four years.

Read the full story here and leave your comments below.

The ICC and ECB have reaffirmed their support for the mandatory release of Associate players from county cricket to take part in international matches and the priority of FTP events.

Continue reading "Boards reaffirm commitment to Associates"

The ICC has announced a revised schedule for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast next month.

The tournament, involving the six leading Associate teams - Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland - will now take place from August 2 to 5, with a fourth day included to allow room for a third and fourth-place play-off.

Click here for the full story

Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009 has opened the way for a third Associate county to be invited from next month's ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers.

The leading Associates meet in Belfast between August 2 and 4 with the top two gained an automatic place in the main event the following June.

"The third associate will come through the qualifiers in August this year," Samir Inamdar, the chairman of the ICC's Affiliates and Associates, told Cricinfo. "I have had a conversation with Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who has agreed that it is logical to replace Zimbabwe with an Associate."

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

The ICC has confirmed that the World Cricket League will be expanded from five to eight divisions after the 2009 World Cup Qualifiers.

The WCL was launched in 2007 with the dual aims of providing more meaningful cricket to more Associates and Affiliates, and also giving a direct path which enabled any country to achieve the ultimate goal of playing in the World Cup.

The addition of three more divisions has been made possible by the substantial increase in funding available once the ICC’s new media deal kicks in next year. It is believed that Division Six and Seven will run in 2008 and Division Eight in 2009.

The extra leagues, which should be approved by the ICC when it meets for its annual meeting in Dubai at the end of the month, will be drawn up based on results in regional competitions.

Ireland will host the inaugural World Twenty20 Qualifiers between August 2 and 4, with the top six Associates vying for the two places available to them in next year's ICC World Twenty20 in England.

Click here for more and the itinerary.