On the eve of the Champions Trophy, Kenya’s internal squabbles continue to take their toll, with the recent hammering by India A in Nairobi the latest example that things are going badly wrong
Commentary by Martin Williamson07-Sep-2004
Ehsan Mani: home truths to Kenyan officials during his visit in April© Getty Images
On the eve of the Champions Trophy, Kenya’s internal squabbles continue to take their toll, with the recent hammering by India A in Nairobi the latest example that things are going badly wrong. The scale of the defeat by India A – Kenya were bowled out for 117 and 168 as India A amassed 517 for 4 – should have worried even the most optimistic supporter of the game in the country.Less than 18 months ago Kenya were in a World Cup semi-final. But rather than build on that success, the intervening period has seen them go backwards. Within days of the conclusion of that tournament, the players threatened to go on strike over pay ahead of a one-day series in Sharjah, and last month they boycotted training, again in a pay dispute. Reports indicate that some of the players have been forced to take pay cuts of up to 90% as the Kenyan board (KCA) struggles to raise funds.Maurice Odumbe’s five-year ban for accepting bribes from an Indian bookmaker hardly helped morale. The increasingly bitter row between the KCA and the two main provincial boards has also been divisive, and, perhaps most importantly, the side is ageing and there are precious few young replacements coming through.The current squad is certainly not short of experience, but is growing long in the tooth. Many of the players who have provided the backbone of Kenya’s success over the last decade are now well into their thirties, and while there are a few youngsters, with the exception of Collins Obuya none of them look as though they have what it takes to succeed at the highest level.When Odumbe was banned, the selectors drafted Brijal Patel, a 28-year-old, into the squad as his replacement. Patel is a veteran of 22 ODIs, in which he averages 18.53 with no fifties, and he has failed to make his mark despite repeated opportunities. The message his selection confirmed was that the cupboard is woefully bare, and his call-up was roundly condemned in Kenya. He marked his return with a duck against India A last week.One senior administrator told me that the main concern was the lack of any structure between age groups (the oldest of which is Under-19) and the senior team. The Under-19 side, a good indicator of young talent, failed to make last February’s World Cup, suffering an ignominious exit to Uganda in the qualifiers. But perhaps the most serious omission is the absence of a Kenya A side, meaning that players face a huge leap between club cricket, which is of variable quality, and the international game.The administrator explained that money earmarked for development had been squandered, and that the KCA had “for a decade lived off the quality of the side they largely inherited while doing little to build for the future”. Jimmy Rayani, the former chairman of the KCA, admitted in July that funds were limited and that money from the ICC intended for development was being used to pay players.Things are slowly improving. The Academy at Simba Union is finally fully functional, but making up for a decade or more of mismanagement will take some time to remedy. The ICC appears to have recognised the scale of the problem, and whereas Kenya were until recently seen as the obvious next Test-playing nation, those putting forward that plan have gone decidedly cool on the idea.In April, Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, warned that Kenya’s ambitions to be a full Test country would not happen unless internal squabbles were sorted and a credible national league put in place. In the intervening five months, no progress has been made, and it is hard to see how anyone could argue that they are ready to step up to the plate.That will come as a relief to the cricket-playing world, who are already faced with the conundrum of what to do with Zimbabwe, who are in virtual freefall, without snuffing out the game there altogether. Another lame-duck Test team is the last thing international cricket needs, and it wouldn’t help the game in Kenya either.Kenya’s day will come, and there are many people working tirelessly towards that goal. All they need is the KCA to start doing the same and the job would become so much easier.