Sierra Leone sent a warning to the other teams with an impressive first-up performance, while hosts, Malawi, scored their second successive win on day two of the World Cricket League Africa Division 3 tournament in Blantyre.

The home-grown Sierra Leone vindicated their decision to bat first by scoring 255 for 7 in its 50 overs. It then bowled out Gambia for 74 from 27.2 overs to win by 181 runs. Meanwhile the young Rwandan team bowled out the experienced Malawians for 172 in 44.2 overs, but could not recover from a slow early start to reach just 126 in 42.1 overs. Malawi won by 46 runs.

The World Cricket League (WCL) Africa Division Three tournament in Malawi has been reduced to five teams following the late withdrawal of Morocco.

According to the ICC website, the Moroccan team was enroute to Blantyre, Malawi, when Qatari officials ordered them from the plane.

The tournament organising committee decided to allocate teams drawn to play Morocco with a bye. Two matches went ahead as scheduled with the hosts, Malawi, defeating Lesotho by 64 runs, and Rwanda beating Gambia by seven wickets with 23 overs to spare.

Tony Munro

Apartheid decreed Hoosain Ayob, the first ICC Africa development officer, cape coloured and reputedly a bowler of some talent in his day, would never play for his native South Africa at international level because of the colour of his skin.

In a tournament in Blantyre, Malawi, starting on Saturday, four of the five teams playing will be fielding mainly African XIs, thanks chiefly to the work of Ayob, who retired from his role about three years ago.

Lesotho and Sierra Leone (both fully indigenous), Gambia (12 locals), Rwanda (8 born there) will be joined by hosts Malawi (mainly Asian) in the World Cricket League Division Three tournament.

Perhaps none of these countries will make a proper World Cup (Sierra Leone did qualify for the recent Under 19 qualifying tournament before Canadian immigration officials turned them back). It shows, though, how far these countries have come in their development.

Continue reading "WCL Division Three begins in Malawi"

Tony Munro

Rwanda captain Denis Mukama reckons a second-placed finish in the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, starting tomorrow in Malawi, just won't do if the team is to realise its potential. "The truth of matter is coming second isn't an option for us," said the Ugandan-born 30-year-old. "Yes we would like to win this event because it is our gateway to the next level, and with the hardwork the boys have put in and the morale in the camp, the trophy is destined for Rwanda."

Eight members of the Rwandan squad for the tournament were born in the country, a fact which Mukama sees as an indication of what lies in store for a country, where the game is so new. "With the youngsters coming up through the development program, Rwanda will be a force to reckon with in future," Mukama said.

There are six teenagers in the squad, with three - Audifax Byiringiro, Bob Bashir Songa and Derrick Bayingana - just 13 years old. And there's likely to be more coming through if the popularity of the sport at the youth level in Rwanda is any indication.

"Cricket is gaining popularity among the youth in our country, particularly in schools," Mukama said. "There is a significant increase in participation of young kids in cricket tournaments like the schools cricket week and other under-age group tournaments."

One schools tournament, important to the game's development, is the Coca-Cola tournament in Uganda, for which Rwanda send a combined team. It's another sign of the close cricket links Uganda, the birthplace of Rwandan coach William Kamanyi, Mukama and Emmanuel Byiringiro, has with its small western neighbour.

They add some experience to the squad along with several Indian-born players, including former national captain, Srinath Vardhineni.

A problem though, in the growth in popularity of schools cricket in Rwanda, is the lack of sufficient facilities and equipment. There is only one ground in Rwanda, which Mukama cited as an obvious impediment to meeting the surge in demand.

"Currently we have one ground with Flickx matting which is used for league games meaning that we can only operate a limited number of games at a time," he said.

The other countries taking part in the tournament are Gambia, Lesotho, Morocco, Sierra Leone and the hosts Malawi.

Singapore beat Bahrain yesterday to take the trophy of the World Cricket League Division 6. Click here for the full report and leave your comments below,

	Guernsey managed to stay in Divsion 6 after beating Bostwana by 25 runs © ICC/Cricket Europe

Stuart Le Prevost

Well that was quite a match for us today and all credit to Botswana who played extremely well and were an extremely nice bunch of chaps.

What a relief to be staying in Division 6 – we had a bad start to this tournament facing the hosts first and since our other two losses, I’m really pleased with how the team has turned itself around in the last two days.

Today’s match was a good game of cricket and I have to congratulate Frithy (Jeremy Frith) for another half-century and some good bowling and also credit has to go to Jamie Nussbaumer whose 4 for 42 was outstanding.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game against Malaysia, it’s going to be a tough one and I’m sure they’re a bit upset having lost out on promotion to Bahrain who walloped Norway by 233 runs, so they’ll come at us hard no matter what.

I’ve really enjoyed my time in Singapore, it’s been a totally different experience and a new climate to play cricket in and tomorrow will be the culmination of a lot of hard work on and off the field for all the lads.

I’m off out tonight to celebrate our win with the team but it won’t be a late one as I’ve still got one more match to win before I head back to Guernsey to see my wife and son, which I must admit is something I’m really looking forward to doing!

Mulewa Dharmichand

Wow. What a couple of days this has been. We’ve won two matches in two days, that four wins in a row and have now guaranteed ourselves promotion to the World Cricket League Division 5.

I wasn’t too happy to get out today for only four runs but I was very pleased to see Buddhika and Narender clock up the runs for us and secure us the win (Click here for the bulletin).

It’s been a good few days for us and we’re looking forward to having a day off tomorrow and I might go watch one of the other matches that are being replayed because of the rain on Tuesday.

We were lucky to get our match in on Tuesday – we had some torrential downpours in Singapore and the Singapore Cricket Club was the only ground able to play after the rain – you should see the pictures of Indian Association it was at least ten centimeters under water, but luckily it was so sunny today all the grounds dried up enough for everyone to get a game in.

It’s funny at the moment staying in a hotel when Singapore’s my home, but it’s good for us as a team and it means we get a real feel for the tournament, being around the other teams and having the whole "event experience".

I’m looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow and readying myself for the last group stage match which is against Malaysia who we really want to beat especially since we lost to them in the Stan Nagaiah Trophy before the ICC WCL Div.6 started. I know I want to make it five wins out of five before Saturday’s final.

Buddika Mendis continues to shine for Singapore, who remained unbeaten in the fourth round of matches in the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Botswana and Malaysia also notched wins, but Guernsey suffered yet another defeat. Click here for the full round-up.

Stuart Le Prevost

So today hasn’t been a great one for us, we lost our second match in the tournament and this time to Bahrain.

We didn’t play well today and that’s the fact of the matter, if we had played well and still lost then I maybe would feel better, but we didn’t we simply failed to perform, that’s all there is to it.

It’s obviously upsetting for us to lose to Bahrain again, as we lost twice to them in Division 7 and now its happened in Division 6.

Obviously all the guys are disappointed but I think generally morale is good within the team, we’ve got a good group and we’ll try and get each other motivated so hopefully we’ll rock up to the ground tomorrow and there shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get back on it and beat Norway.

The conditions here are very different to Guernsey – it’s hot and humid in Singapore and the guys are struggling to make sure that they take a lot of fluid on board. The pitches here have been good, we just haven’t bowled well on them that’s all – I’m hoping now we’re at Indian Association for two matches in a row it will mean we get more of an opportunity to analyze the pitch.

By Thursday of this week we would have played three matches in a row, but I’m not too worried about the guys being tired from it, we have to keep going to make sure we play good cricket and try our best to adapt to the conditions we’re in.

We’ve not got any niggles in the side which is good, however my room-mate Gary Rich managed to dislocate his finger today in practice which our physio popped back in so he could still play. I’ve got to say he’s been very good about the whole thing and I spoke to him about it earlier and he’s icing it ready for tomorrow game, so hopefully it’ll be fine.

Today has been a disappointing one – but we’ve got to move on and look to beating Norway, which ultimately I think we can do.

Stuart Le Prevost is the Guernsey captain, whose exclusive diary will be here throughout the tournament

There were wins for Singapore, Bahrain and Malaysia in the second round of matches of the ICC World Cricket League Division Six, currently underway in Singapore. Here's the full round-up.

Mulewa Dharmichand

It’s been a great start to the tournament here in Singapore and I don’t think many things come close to winning Man of the Match for our first game, so for me personally it’s been a good start, especially since I managed to bag six wickets.

For the team, I think we had a good first game, especially since we won so convincingly and it was a game we knew we had to win – in our minds it was a key game no matter who we were playing.

It’s really competitive cricket here, more than I saw in Jersey when we played in Division 5 last time, and the wickets we’ve got here are more run–friendly so hopefully people we’ll see some good games. Although having said that, I’ll be looking to take lots of wickets and making sure the opposition teams don’t make lots of runs!

Before the tournament started, I was involved in the organising side and now that’s over with, it’s good to be able to focus on playing cricket and being part of the team – it’s a good feeling to just have to perform as a player and not have to wear my Singapore Cricket Association hat.

I think team has got a good lift with today’s win, as prior to the tournament we had a couple of bad games and then last week we had a Twenty20 tournament here in Singapore which went well and helped to boost team morale but with that win today at SCC – we’re all in a good mood and ready to take on our next challenge – Botswana.

Dharmichand Mulewa is the Singapore vice-captain

Stuart Le Prevost

It’s been an interesting first day for us and admittedly losing to Singapore wasn’t great. It was a game where we did some things pretty badly and other things pretty well and we now have to move forward.

For the Guernsey side, this is probably the first time for roughly 90 per cent of the side to be playing abroad and that’s something we’ve all had to get used to. The conditions here in Singapore are extremely different to Guernsey.

It’s hot and humid and having five days out here before the tournament started has definitely helped me and the rest of the team get used to things, but we need to work harder after today’s disappointing seven-wicket loss to Singapore.

We’re up against Bahrain tomorrow, a side we’ve lost to twice before but I am hoping not to make it three times in a row. I know their game went down to the wire today against Malaysia so hopefully they’ll be fairly tired when they face us at Kalang.  
It’s something that could work in our favour, if they’re feeling tired as we finished our game fairly early today (not without a lack of trying) so we could see things go well for us. I just have to remember today’s game is in the past and it’s about looking forward and going for a win tomorrow.

I’ve really enjoyed Singapore so far,  I didn’t really know what to expect but the food has been great, good hospitality, everyone’s been very friendly and the hotel’s great, but now I’ve had my chance to explore the city with the rest of the lads, I’ve got to focus on the nitty gritty of the cricket.

Stuart Le Prevost is the Guernsey captain

There were wins for the hosts, Singapore, along with Norway and Bahrain on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Click here for a full round-up, and be sure to read our exclusive player diaries from the leading figures in the tournament.

Bahrain sealed their place in the World Cricket League Division 6 in Singapore after a comfortable 196-run over Japan in Port Soif. Recovering from yet another top-order collapse at 24 for 4, when Patrick Giles-Jones picked up another five-for after the seven he took the previous day, half-centuries from Qamar Saeed (75 not out), Adil Hanif (73) and Ashraf Yaqoob (51) lifted them to 260. In reply, Japan couldn't face up to the Bahrain attack, capitulating to 64, as Naeem Amin, Qamar and Yaser Sadeq remarkably finished with the same bowling figures of 3 for 15.

Mohsin Kamal, the Bahrain coach, was delighted with the achievement. "Everybody is delighted as we have achieved the main target that we set ourselves before we had come here," Kamal said. "Our other target is to try and win the final on Sunday. We have qualified for Division 6 and everybody hopes we can continue to progress to the top."

Click here for a full report from yesterday's other matches

For regular updates, scorecards, reports and photographs from the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 event in Guernsey, check out our dedicated tournament homepage.

Adewale Adeoye, Nigeria captain

	Nigeria celebrate the win over Japan © ICC Cricket-Europe

Cricket in Nigeria has a limited profile and we certainly don’t have the popularity of some of the major sports in the country such as football, basketball and athletics.

We do have a 15-minute highlights programme on our domestic league each week during the season, but that is not much in comparison to some of the other sports.

I started playing the game when I was 13 – I had never even seen it played before, but I really enjoyed it, and I am very proud to be the Nigeria captain.

We are all excited about being part of the World Cricket League and we are determined to progress as far as we can in the competition, so it was great that we managed to win our first match against Japan.

It was very disappointing that we had a delay with our visas, which has really affected our preparations for the tournament. We had planned to have a two-week tour of the UK, before coming to Guernsey, but in the end we only ended up arriving on the island the day before the tournament started.

It has been particularly difficult to acclimatise to the weather and get used to the pitches. The conditions in Nigeria were tropical, so the temperature in Guernsey has felt freezing to us. Quite a few of the team have caught colds and suffered from muscle pulls, so the real challenge is trying to keep yourself warm in the field at all times by running on the spot.

In Tuesday’s game against Suriname we dropped nine catches and I think it was mainly because of the bad weather. It feels like a completely different ball when you are trying to catch it here in comparison to back at home.

Our focus is now on trying to win our remaining three group games and finishing in the top two at the tournament so we can win promotion to Division 6 in Singapore.

Whatever happens, I think the future for cricket in Nigeria is bright. We have some good administrative structures in place, there are plenty of people who are passionate about the game and I am confident that we can climb the cricketing ladder.

Gibraltar captain Chris Rocca reflects on his start to the tournament

There are mixed feelings in the Gibraltar camp tonight after the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 7.

Having made such a good start in our opening match to reduce Bahrain to 52 for 4, we are full of confidence, although it was disappointing not to get the chance to see if we could record a victory against them because of the rain. We know we need to apply ourselves for our next match against Guernsey tomorrow – the only team in this tournament that we have played on a regular basis previously.

It is great to be involved in international competition again, after being a veteran of ICC Trophy tournaments in the past.

There is a great passion for cricket and the history of the game in Gibraltar stretches back a lot longer than most people would think. The sport has been played since the late 18th century, with historians believing the first ground was set up in 1800 by British serviceman.

Television coverage, live on Sky, has meant that young people are able to watch international matches on a regular basis and this has helped inspire a very successful youth development programme, with two development officers working for Gibraltar cricket at the moment.

Even outside of the structured cricket programme, you see kids playing in the park, which is something that would never have happened 10 years ago.

This has helped ensure that we have a strong, young team, who are all committed to playing the game and taking the time off work to come away to these events.

As part-time cricketers, it is always difficult to get a balance between playing cricket and work, whether you are a student or a barrister, which is my occupation.

Realistically, our aim this week is to maintain our status in Division 7. We’ll be delighted if we get promoted and very disappointed if we get relegated, but with the prospect of having to play six matches in seven days who knows what will happen in this tournament. I just hope the weather gives us a chance to play tomorrow.

The opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 tournament in Guernsey was almost entirely washed out by persistent rain.

Two matches did get underway before being abandoned - Bahrain were wobbling on 52 for 4 against Gibraltar and Japan were 28 for 1 against Guernsey. The game between Suriname and Nigeria did not even get started.

Tuesday is scheduled to be a rest day and it is possible the organisers might replay today’s matches then.

Six teams will take the first step on the road to qualification for the 2015 World Cup on Sunday when the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 gets underway in Guernsey, and the minnows have been given a boost in spirit and profile by two high-profile names lending their support.

Click here to read the tournament preview.

Stuart Le Prevost Guernsey captain

It’s not often that the eyes of the cricketing world take even a passing glance at Guernsey, but it is fantastic that we are staging the first qualifying event for the 2015 World Cup.

As somebody who was born on the island and has played cricket ever since I can remember, I am very proud that we are holding an international event of this magnitude and we are determined to put on a good show (if the weather will let us!)

Now, I am guessing you are probably thinking two things at the moment. Why are teams trying to qualify for the 2015 World Cup already, and where in the world is Guernsey?

Firstly, Guernsey along with Bahrain, Gibraltar, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname are taking part in the ICC World Cricket League Division 7. This is the first part of the four-year qualifying process for the World Cup in 2015, which culminates in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in 2013.

If we finish in the top two at this event, we get promoted to Division 6 and will compete in Singapore in August. If we come third or fourth, we play in Division 7 again in 2011 and if we’re relegated we go into Division 8 in 2010. The aim for us is to get as high up the ladder as we can and certainly to the same level as Jersey, currently in Division 5, who are our main local rivals and are another island in the Channel Islands. Afghanistan have shown it is possible to climb the ladder from the lower divisions and is an inspiration to all the teams at this level.

As for Guernsey, it is a small island in between England and France. In fact we are closer to France, but we seem to have inherited England’s passion for cricket! The population of the island is just over 60,000 – indeed if all the islanders came to support us at the MCG in 2015 we would still only fill two thirds of the stadium.

Guernsey is a beautiful place, with the feel of an English village about it. We have some superb beaches and it is a brilliant place for people to visit and I really hope that all the players in this competition will enjoy their time here.

There is a great passion on the island for cricket, with five divisions made up of eight adult teams playing in the midweek leagues alone. The biggest game of the year used to be against Jersey, who we play once a year in our equivalent of the Ashes, and is a match that has been played since the 1950s! It is a massive day for everybody on the island and nobody likes to be on the losing team.

As well as being captain of Guernsey, I am quite well positioned to talk about how the wickets will play in the tournament as I am one of the groundsmen on the island. The pitches normally offer something to both bat and ball, so there should be some competitive matches.

We have been lucky enough to have had some international teams come and play here before. A couple of years ago, Bermuda toured here and although they beat us, I don’t think there was a massive gulf between the sides. Knowing you have played against people who have played in the World Cup makes you dream that you can compete with sides at a higher level.

It will be a great effort if we can get promoted this week and a trip to Singapore in August for Division 6 would be an amazing experience. We have seen how much Jersey benefited from playing in the World Cricket League, getting to travel to places like Tanzania, and I am excited about having our moment in the spotlight.

Stuart Le Prevost is one of a number of players blogging for Cricinfo during the WCL Division 7

Japan coach Richard Laidler is hopeful that his side can do well in the World Cricket League Division 7 tournament which gets underway on Sunday in Guernsey.

“I am looking forward to coming back to the Channel Islands. It is always exciting to play in international competition as we don’t get much recognition in Japan,” said Laidler. “To give the boys a chance to show how cricket is a global sport is fantastic and we are looking forward to playing in the event. I really hope we can finish first or second and go into Division 6. After playing in Jersey last year we had a chance to understand the standard that we are actually up against and we know what we will have to come up against.”

Laidler admitted that Afghanistan’s recent success, having risen from Division 5 last year to gaining ODI status in the recent ICC World Cricket League, was a great inspiration to Associate and Affiliate members.

“It is a fantastic story and the competition is really well done by the ICC as it does give teams a chance to go up the rankings. Being from the EAP region we used to only play against the same teams, but we are now getting an opportunity to play against everybody, and that gives you a lot of encouragement if you want to play better teams,” said Laidler.

Having played in similar conditions at the Division 5 event last year in Jersey, Laidler is hopeful that his side can learn from its experiences and apply them to the pitch conditions it will face in Guernsey.

“I am expecting Guernsey’s facilities to be as good or even better than Jersey. We learnt quite a bit about the wickets last year, as we are used to playing on harder wickets, while the wickets over there were a bit slower and held up a bit. We know what we are up against now.”

Hong Kong were one of the favourites at the recently completed World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Argentina. They finished fourth. Here, their coach Aftab Habib reflects on what went wrong:


Which team impressed you the most during the tournament and why?

Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Uganda. The reason why - they had medium quick bowlers who used the conditions well. At the higher level, you need bowlers who put the ball in the right place and have the patience to do that. The wickets really played a big part, favouring swing and seam movement on all the grounds. Throughout the tournament, 180 was a winning score due to the pitches we played on, so winning the toss was crucial for the teams.

You had a couple of close results go against you, especially Uganda [by 1 run]. How much of it was bad luck, and how much just simply results reflecting the way Hong Kong played?

We did have some close matches, but we did not make use of the advantage to finish games off. We had an opportunity of qualifying, but slipped up and that’s due to pressure. We did not play well enough for a team who looked really strong on paper. We just did not play smart enough, and we need to think on our feet more in crucial situations.

Continue reading "'We just did not play smart enough' - Aftab Habib"

Afghanistan's winning the World Cricket League Division Three title in Argentina may have sparked euphoria throughout the country but the team are reported to be less than impressed by the reception on their arrival in Kabul. “We were very disappointed that there was no cabinet minister, vice president or president to welcome us home following our extraordinary achievement,” batsman Raees Ahmadzai told BBC. "It shows that they don't like cricket or our team. But we couldn't believe it when we saw people dancing and cheering in the cold weather.''

Another team member absolved President Hamid Karzai - "a big supporter" - of any blame but said ministers should have been present. "This is a big achievement for Afghanistan. But our victory and team belongs to the Afghan people not to ministers.''

A cabinet minister contacted by the BBC said what happened was "regrettable" and that official engagements had prevented them from attending.

Afghanistan booked their place in April's qualifying tournament for the 2011 World Cup on Saturday when they defeated the Cayman Islands by 82 runs to finish top of the World Cricket League Division 3. Uganda beat Argentina by 99 runs to secure the second place in the qualifying round to take place in South Africa. Papua New Guinea, who also finished with eight points, missed out on qualifying on Net Run Rate.

Click here for the full report.

Hamid Hassan

	Hamid Hassan: 'I want to do everything I can to ensure that people back home in Afghanistan will have something to party about in the middle of the night' © Getty Images

I can’t believe that our hopes of qualifying for the World Cup are still alive after yesterday’s dramatic finish against Cayman Islands.

We are used to having exciting conclusions to our matches, but when the opposition is 35-2 chasing only 63 to win after the target was reduced due to rain you never expect to get away with it and be able to start the match all over again.

But God seems to be on our side in this tournament and the torrential rain in Buenos Aires saved us from a terrible performance yesterday.

I never thought before this tournament that it would rain in Argentina – you only think of sunshine and Maradona when you think of the country – but thankfully we have another chance to beat Cayman Islands today.

Continue reading "Hamid Hassan - Thankful for a second chance"

Papua New Guinea won their third match in a row, defeating Uganda by 26 runs at Belgrano while Afghanistan beat the hosts, Argentina, on the third day of the World Cricket League. Hong Kong handed Cayman Islands its third straight defeat, too. Click here for the round-up.

After an opening-day defeat, Afghanistan put themselves back in contention with a 13-run win over much-fancied Hong Kong at Belgrano on the second day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 3. The match went to the wire thanks to Hong Kong's late-order batting, with 98 added for the last two wickets.

Click here for a full report on the second day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 3

Uganda held on for a 14-run victory in their opening World Cricket League Division 3 match despite a brave fightback from Afghanistan who slumped to 53 for 6 in their run chase.

Hong Kong opened their campaign with a comfortable win against hosts Argentina at the Hurlingham Club Ground, while Papua New Guinea had few problems in their six-wicket victory against Cayman Islands at the Belgrano Athletic Club Ground.

For a full round-up click here.

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.

Hemantha Jayasena, Italy

Four games have now been completed in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League and all our hard work now rests on the outcome of our final match.

After beating Tanzania we know that if we win on Friday we will get promoted to Division 3 and we are all desperate to play in Argentina next January – we will do everything that we can to qualify for that tournament.

We played Afghanistan in a warm-up game before this tournament which it won by three runs, but that match was our first in Tanzania and we were still getting used to the conditions, so we are not worried about that. It should be a fantastic game.

Continue reading "Win or bust"

Botswana have won the World Cricket League Africa Division Two tournament, finishing unbeaten after their six-wicket win over Mozambique in Benoni yesterday. In the day's other matches, Zambia defeated Swaziland by 156 runs and Nigeria beat Ghana by 70 runs.

Botswana restricted Mozambique to 174 all out after they were 106 for 2 at one stage. Tshepo Mhozya was the most effective bowler, taking 5 for 32 for Botswana. Abdul Patel, the Man of the Match, then steered Botswana home with an unbeaten 71.

Continue reading "Botswana are Division Two champions"

By Tony Munro

Botswana are the only unbeaten team after three matches in the Africa World Cricket League Division 2 tournament being played in Benoni, South Africa this week.

Their five-wicket win over Nigeria yesterday give them six points, ahead of Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia, with four points each, while Ghana and Swaziland, both promoted from Division 3 are yet to record a win.

In the other matches yesterday, Mozambique defeated Swaziland by 100 runs and Zambia defeated Ghana by 112 runs.

Play resumes tomorrow after today's rest day, with Botswana meeting Zambia, Mozambique playing Nigeria and either Ghana facing Swaziland.

Mozambique, who only began playing cricket in the early 1990s, beat Ghana in their first game before narrowly losing by 11 runs to Zambia. Both those countries have been playing cricket for much longer.

Hamisi Abdallah

	Hamisi Abdallah cracks one through the covers during his 31 against Jersey © ICC

Today is the rest day in the World Cricket League and teams now have a better idea of what they need to do if they are going to progress in this competition.

After a fantastic win against Jersey on Saturday, we (Tanzania) were a bit disappointed to lose yesterday to Hong Kong who was an excellent team. There was a great crowd at that game and there has been lots of interest from the media on a daily basis; cricket has been back page news for the past fortnight which doesn’t always happen here.

Cricket in Tanzania is going from strength to strength and it is a sign of how far that we have come that we can stage this tournament, having held an ICC Africa event here back in 2006.

I play my cricket in Dar Es Salaam, where I work for the Tanzania Cricket Association as a Development Officer, and there is a thriving cricket community with the A league having two divisions, with 15 teams in total and four grounds with turf wickets.

But cricket is also popular in other areas as well and our national side is made up of players from across the country.

Lots of people used to think that only Indians played cricket in Tanzania, but the efforts of the national association to spread the games into schools, which is where I first experienced playing the game, means that the sport is popular amongst black Africans as well.

When I go into the schools and see the talent that is coming up, particularly those guys who come for extra coaching at our Academy, then the future is certainly looking very bright. At the opening ceremony of the event, over 100 children from the local cricket programme had the opportunity to showcase their skills to a watching audience, and I think everybody was very impressed by what they saw.

I spent my morning today going to visit a project run by the Tanzanian Youth Coalition, along with a player or representative from the other five teams, which provides an opportunity for young people in Tanzania to receive education.

The visit was part of the ICC’s partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF on AIDS awareness, which is a big problem in Tanzania. It was great for the other players to have an opportunity to see a different side to my country and the great work that charities do here.

I don’t think many people at the centre had ever met anybody from the likes of Jersey, Afghanistan or Hong Kong either. Tomorrow the attention will go back on the cricket and it is a massive game for us against Afghanistan who has won their first two matches.

We have played against them in a warm-up match and I can’t wait to try and get another victory in this tournament. We just need to focus on the basics and I think we have a good chance of beating Afghanistan.

Hamisi Abdallah is the Tanzania allrounder, one of a number of players blogging for Cricinfo their experience of the World Cricket League in Tanzania

Although we haven’t won any of our practice matches, the Fiji boys feel ready for the start of the tournament on Saturday.

Some of our players haven’t played on a turf wicket for 18 months so it has been useful to get to experience the conditions and adjust to the different bounce to the artificial wickets that we are used to playing on back at home.

I work as a bank officer back in Fiji and our team is made up of soldiers, a lecturer and a graphic designer. We are all lucky that our work has been very supportive in allowing us to prepare for this tournament and take the time off to represent our country.

Although rugby and soccer are probably the most popular sports back in Fiji, we have been receiving a lot of support. We even had the opportunity to go and meet the president before we departed which was a really good experience. It turned out that he used to play a bit of cricket himself, but I couldn’t find out too much more than that. In Fiji, it is tradition that when you are in the company of somebody so senior, you only speak when you are spoken to.

We play Afghanistan in our opening match of the tournament and we have heard that they have a really good bowling attack. I believe Italy are one of the favourites, while we found out yesterday that Hong Kong has a really strong team as well, with an excellent spin attack.

My main focus is to make sure I take plenty of wickets and try and make an important contribution with the bat at No.7, either taking my team to victory or rebuilding an innings if we have struggled early on.

It is the opening ceremony of the tournament today and I am hoping to have the opportunity to meet the players from other teams and talk to them not only about cricket, but what life is like back in their country. I have never been to any of the other five countries that we are playing against in the tournament so it is a good opportunity to learn about how other people live their lives.

I really enjoy having the opportunity to travel and meet people, so it is great that as well as getting a chance to play cricket in ICC events like this, I have the opportunity to experience different cultures.

My father used to play for Fiji and in his time there was never an opportunity to take part in events like the one we are playing in this week, which I think makes me appreciate being part of the squad at this tournament.

We are all desperate to do as well as we can in the next six matches and perhaps we can get the opportunity to experience some South American culture next January for Division 3 in Argentina.

Greg Browne is the Fiji batsman, one of a number of players blogging for Cricinfo their experience of the World Cricket League in Tanzania

Matt Hague

The Jersey squad arrived in Tanzania today full of excitement about the adventures that lie ahead. We have been talking about coming to play in this tournament ever since we qualified in May, particularly in the last couple of weeks when we have been meeting most days for training, so it is great to finally be here and I can’t wait for the tournament to start.

It was amazing on the journey from the airport to the hotel to get a taste of what life in Tanzania is really like. I, like many of the squad, have never been to Africa before; we couldn’t believe the amount of traffic, which meant we crawled along on the team bus, and the pace of life here seems different to home as well. It makes the island life of Jersey look like a rollercoaster in comparison. We have to play six games in eight days, so the tournament schedule is pretty tough, but I would love to try and see what Dar Es Salaam has to offer and experience some of the culture.

There were people selling all kinds of stuff next to the road. Somebody had even set up a mini shoe shop on the pavement – you wonder how they make a living – and there were lots of people at every traffic light trying to sell you all kind of different things. I think we’ll need to change some of our US dollars into local currency so we can buy some of the fresh fruit that was for sale by the side of the road which looked very appetizing and perhaps I’ll see if I can get some presents for the family as well from the street traders.

After checking into our hotel, which is located right next to the sea and only half-an-hour of all three venues, we went to our first practice session this afternoon, which we basically used to help recover from the jet lag and do some light fielding drills.

I’m looking forward to my first opportunity of seeing how the wickets play when we take on Fiji in a practice match tomorrow and examining what we need to adapt to the different conditions.

That’s not just dealing with how the ball bounces on the wicket, or the difference in the outfield in comparison to back at home, but looking at how we can adjust our tactics to local conditions.

Playing in Jersey it is quite common for a bowler to bowl his 10 overs straight through. I think the heat and humidity will make that a challenge for anybody to do in Tanzania, but until we’ve had the opportunity to experience the conditions ahead of our first competitive match on Saturday we really don’t know.

Being here at this level of ICC event really hits home how things have changed for cricket in Jersey. It is amazing to think that just three years ago our only international game of the season was against Guernsey.

Then when we became a member of the ICC in 2005 we had the opportunity to go and play in Scotland and Italy which was absolutely fantastic, but to think that a team of Jersey cricketers have travelled all the way to Africa, to play against countries like Fiji, Hong Kong and Tanzania, with a dream of progressing to Division 3 of this event in Argentina is unbelievable.

I think we have an even more talented squad than the one that played in Jersey, with the addition of some really promising youngsters which is a great sign for the Development Program that our Board has invested in so heavily.

At the age of 34, if we’re not successful in this tournament, I may never ever have the opportunity again of playing this level of international cricket, so while our youngsters are keen to make the most of their opportunities, the old timers in the squad don’t want this fairytale story of trying to qualify for the 2011 World Cup to end just yet! I quite fancy a trip to Argentina in January when the weather back home will be freezing.

With the experience of Peter Kirsten as coach, to help guide us through our African adventure, and a side full of confidence after our win at the European Championships Division 2, we’re a side ready for the challenges that the next fortnight will throw at us and I can’t wait for the real action to begin on Saturday.

Matt Hague is the Jersey captain

After finishing second in the Division 5 tournament in May, including an impressive semi-final victory over the USA, and then winning a dramatic game against Guernsey to seal the ICC European Championships Division 2, the side is in confident mood despite Jersey only becoming an ICC Member back in 2005.

“I think when we started in ICC competitions in Scotland a couple of years, some of our players were in awe of the other teams. We’ve now got rid of that and we now think we can beat anybody,” said Hague. “We definitely think we can go forward in this competition.”

Boosted by the addition of young talents such as Anthony Hawkins-Kay, a fast bowler, and Ben Stevens, a promising spinner, the side has added some fresh faces to the side that performed well on home soil in Division 5, although Ryan Driver will again be a key player.

Hague, who will lead his side in a difficult opening day fixture against Tanzania, who host the tournament, is confident his side can adapt to local conditions. “I don’t know how tough it will be. It will be different and it might be hotter but we definitely have the talent to adjust,” he said. “We’ve played Italy, beaten them twice, but I am guessing Hong Kong, who has been playing against international teams in the Asia Cup – and Afghanistan will be competitive.”

Fiji’s cricket team met President Ratu Josefa Iloilo as the side prepared to travel to Tanzania for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4.

Jone Salele, the Fiji Team Manager presented a whale’s tooth to the president as part of a reception at Government House. “Let the flags fly when you return and remember cricket is a sport for chiefs so keep that reputation,” said Ratu Iloilo, himself a former cricketer, reported the Fiji Daily Post News.

“It would be hard to let our country down knowing support is with us and with strong words from the President, we are hoping for a positive outing” added Salele.

Fiji face Afghanistan on the opening day of the tournament, which begins on October 4.

By Tony Munro

Joe Scuderi, the former Lancashire allrounder, will captain Italy in the ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Tanzania early next month. Vincenzo Pennazza, who represented South Africa at the 2004 Under-19 World Cup is also in the 14-man squad.

Squad: Joe Scuderi (capt), Din Alaud, Andrea Corbellari, Gayashan Munasinghe, Hemantha Jayasena, Samantha Ketipe, Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Andrew Northcote, Nicholas Northcote, Vincenzo Pennazza, Kelum Pereram Peter Petricola, Luca Poli, Nicola Puccio.

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.

Following their qualification into Division 4 of the World Cricket League yesterday, Afghanistan marked a memorable week by winning Division 5 of the competition, beating the hosts Jersey in a thrilling two-wicket final.

A fine all-round performance from Hasti Gul guided Afghanistan to the World Cricket League Division 5 title, with a tense two-wicket victory, in a low-scoring thriller against hosts Jersey. Gul hit an unbeaten 29, as Afghanistan slumped to 62 for 8 chasing just 81 for victory, to follow his three wickets.

Jersey were bundled out in less than 40 overs, but didn't give up the chance of claiming a trophy in front of their home crowd without a real fight. Ryan Driver, the former Lancashire and Worcestershire batsman, took four wickets with his medium-pace. However, Gul didn't take a backward step and launched the only two sixes of the match - over long-on and deep square-leg - to take Afghanistan within touching distance.

Click here for the full report.

South Africa have agreed to host Uganda for a month to enable them to prepare for their participation in the World Cricket League Division Three competition which is being staged in Argentina in January.

The top two sides in the event will go through to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, and Uganda are one of the favourites. They will be based in South Africa for approximately a month before the start of the tournament.

The one remaining semi-final place in the World Cricket League Division Five went to Afghanistan after Singapore failed to beat Japan by a convincing enough margin to pip them into second place in Group B on Net Run Rate.

Singapore have every right to feel hard done by. Although they finished level on points with the Afghans, their one game which was washed out was against Bahamas, who failed to win any of their matches, while Afghanistan's was against the unbeaten Jersey side.

Click here for the full report of the day's action.

Germany’s Graham Sommer has been reprimanded after being found guilty of two breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s match against the USA in the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey.

The punishment was handed down by match referee David Jukes following a hearing that took place on Monday after the USA won the match in question by six wickets. The player was charged under clauses 1.3 and 1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct which refer to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” and “using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture” respectively.

This followed an appeal for a lbw by Sommer which was turned by umpire Sanjeev Kad. The charges were laid by Kad, of Finland, and his fellow on-field umpire, Mike Carpenter of Jersey.

Explaining his decision after the hearing, Jukes said: “On the basis of the evidence put before me, it was proved beyond doubt that Mr Sommer showed dissent and also used language that was obscene after his appeal was turned down. Even though it is not the sort of example that players should be setting at any time, I decided to reprimand and warn Sommer of his future conduct for a period of 12 months after he showed a degree of remorse and apologised for his actions.”

The third round of the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey again produced wins for the favourites, and with two rounds remaining, it seems that Afghanistan, Jersey, Nepal and USA are the teams likely to make the last four.

A fantastic innings of 92 from Jersey's Ryan Driver helped his side maintain their winning streak with a comprehensive 128-run victory over Bahamas.
Driver, who has county experience in English cricket with Lancashire and Worcestershire, hit five fours and five sixes in his 85-ball innings as the home side made 206-4 in a 32-over game, before Andy Dewhurst destroyed the Bahamas batting order with 6 for 20.

"The team is confident at the minute but we're not being complacent at all. We've turned up every single day and beaten whatever opposition is against us. We're getting better with every game," said 29-year-old Driver. "We know the tournament is going to get a lot tougher but we want to rise to the occasion."

USA defeated Vanuatu by seven wickets, reaching a target of 89 with 4.4 overs to spare in a game in which rain prevented any play in the morning.

Nepal again recovered from a shaky start with the bat as they comprehensively defeated Norway by 108 runs. They were grateful to 51 from Mahaboob Alam, who yesterday took ten wickets, to steer them to 208, before bowling Norway out for 98.

And Afghanistan's winning run also continued as four wickets from Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil and three wickets for Hamid Hassan saw them bowl out Botswana for 128 all out in another rain-affected match. In probably their best batting display of the event so far, 62 from Karim Khan Sadiq sealed a comfortable victory by seven wickets.

Germany were the other winners of the day, enjoying a comprehensive win over Mozambique by seven wickets, with Ehsan Latif once again the star. He gained his second Man-of-the-Match award with figures of 3 for 13 which helped bowl out Mozambique for 96, although Latif received good support from Farooq Ahmed (3 for 14) and Javed Iqbal (3 for 40). In reply, Abdul Bhatti guided his side home with 32 not out as Germany reached their target with 21.5 overs to spare.

The match between Singapore and Japan was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

	Khawaja Shuja after taking 5 for 15 for USA against Norway © Cricket Europe

It was again a day for the favourites as, in addition to Nepal, there were wins for Afghanistan, USA and Jersey.

Continue reading "USA and Afghanistan power on"

Rain all but washed out the second day of the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey. In the only match to finish, Germany beat Vanautu by six wickets.

It is proving to be a tough tournament for Vanautu, who need two wins against Associate members if their own application for Associate membership of the ICC is to be successful next month. Yesterday they went down by 183 runs to Norway, and today's loss will set alarm bells ringing as it was again by a significant margin against one of the sides they would have been aiming to beat.

Yesterday it was their bowling, but today Vanautu's batsmen let them down as they were skittled out for 75 with Ehsan Latif the pick of Germany's bowlers with 4 for 27.
An aggressive 32 from 34-year-old opener Anees Butt, who struck five fours and two sixes, helped Germany to their target in nine overs as they raced to beat the rain.

"It was the first Man-of-the-Match award I've got in my life and I'm pretty happy about my performance," said Latif. "I was just bowling normally and I didn't try any kind of variety. I just put it on the stumps and thankfully I got wickets."

All other matches were abandoned due to torrential and persistent rain. They have now been rescheduled to be replayed on Sunday, originally scheduled as a rest day.

In the games that did get some play before they were scrapped, Sushil Nadkarni added an unbeaten 47 to his 70 yesterday as USA reached 108 for 1 in 21 overs against Norway.

Mozambique had a let-off after being bowled out for 70 by Nepal, Basanta Regmi (5 for 8) and Binod Das (5 for 16) sharing the spoils. Nepal faced one ball before the rains came.

Peter Gough (76*) and Steve Carlyon (56*) put on an unbeaten 140 for Jersey's first wicket before the game against Japan went the same way. Singapore were 91 for 1 against Botswana while Afghanistan were wobbling on 105 for 5 against Bahamas.

It may be three long years years away, but the road to the 2011 World Cup begins this week in the unlikely setting of Jersey. More famed for its cattle and potatoes than a venue for cricket tournaments, Jersey plays host to 12 of the world's lesser-known teams in Division 5 of the World Cricket League (WCL), as they battle to climb the ladder to the fourth division and dream of a World Cup place in Asia.

Will Luke previews Division 5 of the World Cricket League which gets underway this week.

Some of Jersey’s top players over the last decade have a chance to demonstrate their skills and ability at a completely new level, on the world stage, when they host Division Five of the World Cricket League later this month.

Jersey’s squad benefits from a number of all-rounders whose fitness and stamina will be tested under the tournament itinerary - a demanding seven games in nine days.

Their principle allrounder, Ryan Driver – formerly of Lancashire and Warwickshire - has fulfilled the four-year ICC qualifying period enabling him to make his long-awaited debut for Jersey. Mat Hague, another allrounder, will welcome Driver’s support while he captains the side.

Tom Minty and Andy Dewhurst provide inspiration for the younger players
on the fringe of the squad, while at the other end of the age spectrum
Meeku Patidar and Bradley Vowden will bring vast experience and – in spite of their seniority - are two of the very finest and fittest fielders in the squad.

James Caunt, the wicketkeeper, also qualifies as supremely fit and is a
welcome new addition to the squad. He has been in Jersey for 12 years
but has now qualified to play for the team in ICC competitions
Sharing wicket-keeping duties is Bobby Minty who also possesses high
levels of natural fitness and is flexible enough to be used as a fielder too.

Jamie Brewster's attacking and powerful batting are a luxury that the
strength of this squad can afford and he can turn a match inside five
overs.

Peter Kirsten – the former South Africa batsman, and now Jersey’s coach - arrives this week and the squad and management are looking forward to his impact – particularly with the fielding.

Afghanistan will be one of 12 nations dreaming of a place in the 2011 World Cup when the World Cricket League Division Five begins in Jersey later this month.

Click here for the full story.

Ghana will play Swaziland in the final of the ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Three.

Ghana had the easiest match, thrashing Rwanda by eight wickets with more than 39 overs in hand. Rwanda were bowled out for 23 in 11.1 overs, but that represented a recovery after they found themselves 13 for 8. Abdul-Karim Sumaila (4 for 11) and Isaac Aboagye (6 for 9) bowled unchanged throughout, while extras (9) contributed more than any individual batsman. Ghana lost both their openers in easing home.

Swaziland had to work harder, and survived a mini collapse within sight of the finishing line, before overcoming Sierra Leone by four wickets with 20 overs to spare in the battle of the group winners. Sierra Leone managed 116 thanks to an eighth-wicket stand of 50 which bailed them out from 50 for 7. Joseph Wright (5 for 17) was the man who blew away the top order. Swaziland were wobbling on 27 for 3 but Wright (48) and Abdulazis Patel (35*) put on 73 for the fourth wicket, and strikes from Lansana Lamin (4 for 19) came too late.

Lesotho lost to a South African Invitation XI by seven wickets in the fifth-place play-off.

Click here for the tournament scorecards.

The semi-finals of the ICC World Cricket League Africa Division Three tournament will be played today in Benoni, South Africa, with Sierra Leone meeting Swaziland and Rwanda opposing Ghana.

The tournament, which features most of the African Affiliate ICC members, began on Sunday.

The standings for the two pools after the preliminary matches are:

Pool One: Sierra Leone 6, Rwanda 4, Lesotho 2, Malawi 0
Pool Two: South African Invitation XI 6, Ghana 4, Swaziland 2, Gambia 0

The semi-finals to decide the lower placings are Lesotho v SA Invitation XI (which is not eligible to contest the main semi-finals) and Malawi v Gambia.

Swaziland's win over Gambia was its first win in an official ICC tournament.

Click here for the points table.

Some things remain depressingly constant and one of them is the media crusade against Cricket Kenya in The Nation.

“This was a year when Kenyan cricket sunk further into mediocrity despite Kenya’s triumph,” Richard Mwangi writes in an article mischievously and misleadingly entitled Kenya’s game still in the gutter, before a long rambling column which does little to substantiate his claim. He ends with a comment that the Cricket Kenya failed to hold an AGM “which could have ushered in new officials”. An explanation why might have helped but it suited his argument not to go into that.

Mwangi, like any reporter, is, of course, entitled to his views. But as we have stated before, there have to be questions as to who is pulling the strings of the general sniping. The board are privately angered by the stance of the Nation after several olive branches have been spurned or used to beat those offering them.

Kenya has issues for sure, but a year in which they won the World Cricket League and won 14 out of 17 ODIs, signed a new TV deal and a new sponsor cannot be all bad. But that’s not the kind of story that the Nation is interested in peddling. Kenyan cricket needs all the help it can get to rebuild, while being subjected to valid criticism, but they know by now that the mainstream newspapers won't be the ones to do that.

UAE underlined their ambition to take part in the 2011 World Cup by winning the World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia, defeating Oman in the final. Denmark and Namibia also booked their place in the 2009 Qualifer, but Uganda and Argentina finished in the bottom two and were relegated back to Division Three.

Click here for Cricinfo’s full coverage of the tournament.

The World Cricket League Division Two has begun in Namibia with the home side laying down an early marker with an eight-wicket win against Denmark. For a full round-up of the opening day click here.

A squad of 14 Kenya players are lending their support to Uganda to play two friendlies at the Lugogo Oval this weekend, to help them prepare for the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia later this month.

Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, along with Thomas Odoyo and other senior players are all participating, but Kenya have given Maurice Ouma the captaincy. They also called up a couple of younger faces, Ken Migai and Moses Otieno to gain experience.

Uganda will fight it out with United Arab Emirates - who today beat Bermuda in the Intercontinental Cup - Argentina, Denmark, Oman and Namibia for the four slots reserved for the group in the 2009 World Cup qualifier.

Click here for the fixture list

The 2007-08 Argentine cricket season kicked off in the last weekend of October with the Saturday Championships (Second Division tournament). This year’s Saturday Championship league includes nine teams.

The month of November will see the continuation of the Saturday Championships along with the First division Twenty20 League (six teams). It is also an action packed month for the juniors with the School U-15 and open leagues and the first ever ADE Trios Festival. There will also be a number of Kanga festivals held.

Argentina will also host a combined South American team (consisting of four players from Chile and Brazil respectively). The South American team will play a four match series (including two Twenty20 games) against the Argentina national team in preparation for the forthcoming ICC WCL Division 2 tournament, due to be held in Windhoek, Namibia from November 24 to December 2.

The Argentina National team are finalising their preparation for the ICC WCL Division 2 tournament. The team will depart Buenos Aires on November 17 and will spend five days based in Potchefstroom (South Africa) where they will play two warm up matches kindly hosted by North West cricket. The schedule for the ICC WCL Division 2 tournament is as follows:

Nov.24 – Argentina vs Oman

Nov. 25 – Argentina vs Namibia

Nov.27 – Argentina vs UAE

Nov.28 – Argentina vs Uganda

Nov.30 – Argentina vs Denmark

Courtesy ICC Americas

The UAE team will tour South Africa as part of their preparation for the ICC World Cricket League which takes place in Namibia.

"The ICC World Cricket League is the qualifier for the 2011 World Cup. We will be playing against Uganda, Denmark, Argentina, Namibia and Oman. Prior to the series, UAE will tour South Africa to play a few warm-up matches," Mazhar Khan, administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board, told Gulf News.

Israel will host Croatia in November for a play-off game to gain entry into the second division of the ICC’s World League tournament in 2008.

The match, to be played on either Sunday November 11 or 18, with the Monday set aside as a rain day, is being embraced by the Israel Cricket Association, with chairman Stanley Perlman delighted at the opportunity to host an international match.

"We have been trying to host international cricket in Israel for many years now, and hope that the visit of the Croatian team will pave the way for other countries to tour in the future," Perlman said. "We will invite the Croatians to play a couple of friendly matches before the game against our national team as well."

Patrick Ochan and Jimmy Okello have been banned for life by the Ugandan Cricket Association (UCA), after the duo went missing at the end of the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Darwin.

The bans are unlikely to have a significant impact on the duo - it has been reported that they have now taken up residence in Adelaide after applying for, and successfully obtaining, working visas.

"By the rules of the association, we dissociated ourselves from the act [their disappearance] and banned them from playing cricket for Uganda ever again. They would have no cause to come back to us at all," William Kibukamusoke, the chairman of UCA, told Cricinfo on telephone from Kampala.

Continue reading "Life bans for Ugandan duo"

Two Ugandan cricketers who disappeared at the end of the World cricket League in Darwin earlier this month have been found by Australia’s Immigration Department in Adelaide.

The Age reported that Patrick Ochan, 18, and Jimmy Okello, 19, are expected to apply to stay in the country. It said that the pair were staying with Ken Skewes, a young South Australia player, and he contacted the authorities when he realised that the men were being sought. The paid have valid visas until June 28, so no further action is expected until then.

Despite the lack of preparation, the Uganda’s chairman William Musoke is delighted with his team winning Division Two of the World Cricket League.

“We persevered and insisted on training despite the inadequacies in the association. It was total sacrifice for the players and officials to make the Darwin trip.”

Continue reading "Uganda chairman delighted with success"

Leave your thoughts and feedback of Uganda's win in the comments below

Uganda celebrate their victory © ICC

At one stage Uganda, the hot favourites, had slumped to 79 for 7, after being asked to bat, with Argentina captain Esteban MacDermott, who was later adjudged player of the tournament, taking three wickets. However Frank Nsubuga, who made 55 from 38 balls, and Laurence Sematimba added a vital 80 for the eight wicket. Sematimba and Patrick Ochan, 56 from 34 balls, then posted 82 for the ninth wicket as Uganda reached 241 for 8. Nsubuga outstanding all-round day continued, taking 4 for 27 as Argentina were bowled out for 150 in the 47th over.

Click here for a full report

Leave your thoughts

Uganda and Argentina have been promoted to Division Two of the World Cricket League following their march into the final of Division Three in Darwin. Division Two, in Namibia, gets underway in November.

1st semi-final

Esteban MacDermott, the Argentina captain, produced a match-winning performance when he captured 4 for 20 to bowl out the Cayman Islands for 102 in the 40th over. Steve Gordon, who scored a century in the opening game against Tanzania, top-scored with 38 but only Saheed Mohamed (29) and Keniel Irving (19) reached double figures. Argentina's chase began poorly, stumbling to 58 for 4, but Alejandro Ferguson saw them through to the final with a composed 25.

"The boys could have easily lost focus or confidence after the one-wicket defeat against Italy," MacDermott said, "but they remained committed and stayed on track because they trusted their instincts. This is the reward for their dedication and continuous hard work.

"The credit for our promotion to Division 2 not only goes to the team but to the entire support staff and all those who backed us all the way. Our performance in the tournament shows how rapidly cricket is growing in our country where soccer remains the first-choice sport."

2nd semi-final

Plate semi-finals

Argentina and Papua New Guinea (PNG) complete the semi-final line-up of the World Cricket League Division 3 after recording impressive victories on the last day of the group matches in Darwin. Argentina take on Cayman Islands in the semi-finals tomorrow, while PNG meet Uganda.

Group A

PNG beat Italy by eight wickets, but it was their superior net run-rate which edged them into the semi-finals, after both teams were tied following two wins each. PNG, who suffered a shock five-wicket defeat against Argentina on Tuesday, had to beat the Italians by a convincing margin to earn a berth in the last four. They did just that, dismissing Italy for 134 before cruising to their target in the 34th over. Arua Uda top-scored with 58 from 92 balls.

Group B

Tanzania tasted its first win of the tournament, overpowering Hong Kong by five wickets. Hong Kong made 161, with Rahul Sharma notching 43 while Bhavesh Govind took 3 for 31. Tanzania cruised home with Abhik Patwa and Rishen Patel putting on 77 for the opening stand, edging over the line in the 47th over.

Hussain Butt is bowled not playing a shot by Franklyn Hinds © Travis Pittman

Uganda and Cayman Islands booked their places in the semi-finals of the World Cricket League Division Three as ball dominated bat on the second day of the tournament in Darwin. Both teams made short work of their opponents, comfortably winning low-scoring games in the first session.

The wins gave Uganda and Cayman Islands maximum points from two games in Group B and left Tanzania and Hong Kong winless with just one match remaining. Despite Italy's second successive win, Group B remains wide open as PNG and Argentina have one win from two games. After Tuesday's rest day, PNG will meet Italy at Nightcliff while Argentina meet Fiji at Kahlin Oval in the last group matches.

Group A

Group B

The World Cricket League Division Three got off to an action-packed start in Darwin on Sunday.

Group A

Christopher Amini's unbeaten 71 held Papua New Guinea's innings together as they defeated Fiji by one-wicket. PNG, chasing a victory target of 139, were seemingly down and out as they slipped to 105 for 8 and then 125 for 9. But Amini batted sensibly before hitting the winning boundary off the penultimate delivery.

Read the full report here.

Eight of cricket’s emerging nations will be hoping to take one step towards qualification for the 2011 World Cup when the World Cricket League Division 3 gets underway this Sunday (May 27) in Darwin.

The top two teams from this event will join UAE, Namibia, Denmark and Oman
in Windhoek, Namibia at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 November. The top four teams from the event in Namibia will automatically qualify for the ICC World Cup Qualifier in the UAE in 2009, while the two remaining teams will have a second chance to qualify for the UAE tournament at the World Cricket League Division 3 in early 2009.

Click here for the full team-by-team preview.

The Fiji Times reports that the national side have been preparing for their World Cricket League Division Three matches in Australia with games against the army over the last three weeks.

In Fiji, one-day matches in the island’s league are played over 30 overs. This is due to the lack of suitable playing surfaces.

"We have been strengthening our batting during the training sessions," Seci Sekinini, the team manager, said. "It’s a different game. We will have to bat longer. Our players are prone to rush things. Sometimes the teams don't even last the full duration of the club games. And that's 30 overs. So we have a lot to work on.

“The bowlers are also working on their techniques. They are bowling more dot balls at practice. I don't believe our fielding will be a problem. All the players will need to put in their best effort."

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008, the ICC confirmed on Tuesday.

The decision follows a recent visit to the island by an ICC Development team to inspect the country's suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

Ronnie Kintu

Uganda have dropped Benjamin Musoke and Junior Kwebiiha, their two allrounders, ahead of Division Three of the World Cricket League next month. Uganda named their final 14-man squad yesterday.

Uganda will be among the eight nations to take part in the tournament which gets underway on May 27 in Australia. They are joined by Tanzania, USA, PNG, Oman Republic, Malaysia, the Cayman Islands and Fiji in the seven-day event.

After a poor show at the 2007 World Cup qualifiers in Ireland two years ago, in which they finished bottom of the 12-nation championship, Uganda were relegated to the third division along with the fractious USA and PNG.

The top two countries in Division Three will qualify to play in Division Two which, in turn, acts as a mini World Cup in 2009

Uganda squad
J. Olweny, P. Ochan, R. Mukasa, A. Kyobe, C. Waiswa, H. Saleh, J. Okello, R. Okia, R. Semanda, K. Kamyuka, L. Sematimba, F. Nsubuga, D. Ruyange and R. Otim.

Scotland's cricketers last night sent an SOS home for extra supplies of a special energy drink after going through a six-week supply in just over a fortnight.

Officials admit they were caught out by the fierce heat and humidity in Mombasa during the recent Tri-Series with Kenya and Canada.

Read the full story in The Herald

Time is running out for Bermuda’s under-fire players to prove to the national selectors that they are the men to take the side into the World Cup.

Back-to-back defeats in warm-up matches in Trinidad has added to deepening concerns following a poor tour of Africa at the end of last year, but Irving Romaine, their captain, remains upbeat … in public at least.

“It’s all up to us because we have the talent and can match our opponents talent-wise … it’s just that they are more disciplined than we are at the moment. But if we can get control of our discipline and play to our full ability then we should win because we do go into games definitely looking to win.”

Read the full interview in The Royal Gazette

Martin Williamson looks at what message is being sent to the Associates by the ICC deciding to appoint Darrell Hair to officiate in their tournament ... and do the ICC even know where they stand.

Continue reading "Mixed messages from Dubai"

Ryan Steede, the medium-pacer and Kwame Tucker, the wicketkeeper, are the two notable omissions of Bermuda's squad for the World Cricket League to be held in Kenya later this month.

Read the full story.

Bermuda are in Trinidad to prepare for the World Cricket League which gets underway at the end of this month. Three club sides - Clico Preysal (who won all five of their matches on a tour to Bermuda last September), Wanderers Cricket Club and Clarke Road United have all been lined up.

“Trinidad really is a good fit for us,” Logie said of his homeland yesterday.

“It’s obviously where we are going to be playing our World Cup matches so it’s important we give the players as much time as possible to get used to the conditions there. And we’ve got everything we need in terms of practice facilities and support.

“Traditionally we’ve always done quite well after a training camp down there and with the World Cricket League tournament coming up at the end of January (in Nairobi, Kenya), we saw it as a perfect opportunity to get the guys away from everything again and prepare thoroughly.

“We always try and play some practice matches while we’re down there and we’re going to play three teams who we’ve come up against before, who’ve got some good players and who are steeped in the art of swing and spin.

“It’s just the sort of challenge we need ahead of Kenya.”

Read more at the Royal Gazette, and leave your thoughts on Bermuda's preparations below.

Should Canada reach the final of the World Cricket League - to be held in Nairobi at the end of this month - thus qualifying them for the Twenty 20 World Cup in September, each player will receive a bonus of USD$5,000. More info can be found at their web site.