Is it possible to rescue regional cricket? That was the question as the African Cricket Association (ACA) board visited Kenya and Uganda last week.

Early this year, Kenya, along with the Netherlands and Canada, lost their ODI status after poor performances in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand.

Kenya finished fifth in the Super Six round of the competition and Netherlands and Canada failed to make it past the group stage. Kenya has been an ODI nation since 1996. Kenya lost its bids to host the 2015 World Cup qualifiers and the Africa Cricket Cup.
Losing ODI status will result in reduced funding, as well as fewer matches.

In Uganda, the team was relegated to World Cricket League Division Three early this year. Kenya and Uganda will miss out on an ICC High Performance Programme funding of $1 million, which could have been used to raise the standard of the sport. ACA’s visit was to assure Kenya and Uganda that all is not lost.

“Kenya is highly ranked in the game continentally, and Uganda is rising. We can’t afford to see Kenya dip further. We want to ensure Kenya regains its batting glory,” said ACA chief executive, Cassim Suliman.

Sulliman said starting a university cricket league could bridge the gap between high school and the national teams in Kenya. More over, it will ensure that there is a sustained feeding system of players to the national team.

“We are glad Cricket Kenya is ready, and our hope is that the university project starts as soon as possible,” Suliman said.

ACA says they will fund the project to ensure Kenya joins other countries with university cricket league like Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia and Botswana. Suliman urged Kenya to grow cricket at the county level, where its development can be fast-tracked.

“Our institutions of learning have hidden talents that I believe could be tapped through this initiative. I want to praise our counties for helping with the growth of the game despite the lack of awareness in many sectors,” said Cricket Kenya chairperson Jackie Janmohamed.

Suliman said they will lobby the ICC to give Kenya and Uganda meaningful matches. “The two countries have some talented youngsters, but they need exposure. Top matches are hard to come by and that is why we want the ICC to help,” he said.

“Kenya and Uganda will need to play more competitive games. They need to play against stronger sides otherwise it is going to be very difficult to improve their performance,” said Suliman.

Cricket Kenya needs at least $1.2 million to run the sport professionally, but there is a shortfall of $800,000 as the association only gets $450,000 dollars from the ICC.

“Kenya doesn’t have a cricket culture, which is why we need a schools’ structure to find new players; that is not possible without proper funding. The ICC is giving us a grant, but it’s far from enough. The government help is non-existent and sponsorship is scarce. We need more international support,” said Janmohamed.

Currently, Uganda is in Malaysia trying to qualify to get back into WCL Division Two.

Former South African test player Peter Kirsten, who has been in charge of Uganda for just two months after taking over from Davis Turinawe, is optimistic that they can win the tournament.

Kirsten says he enjoys coaching in Uganda. “I have been to Zambia and Kenya, and was aware of Uganda Cricket,” he said. He received a call from Africa Cricket Association president Cassim Suliman in August urging him to help Uganda Cricket.

“I believe Uganda has a lot of talent, and I am available to further their development.”