New national cricket team coach needs funding and proper facilities to succeed

Kenya’s successful run at the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa led critics into writing off the country as a beneficiary of good luck and non-deserving semi-finalists.

Back then, the country beat Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, which are test-playing nations, to romp into the semi-finals of the global event in South Africa.

Since then, Kenya’s performance has dipped as the country has gone ahead to lose to invitational sides even as it qualified for 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup to be hosted by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

With Cricket Kenya (CK) having selected new national cricket team coach Eldine Baptiste, we hope the anxiety occasioned by CK delay in naming the coach will end in the camp.

But appointing a good coach is not the end of everything for CK because, without proper infrastructure, funding and goodwill, it would be wasted effort.

CK should make the selection more competitive to ensure a strong and formidable national team, improving players’ contracts to boost their morale.

The local federation should also ensure smooth and cohesive running of local league whose players form the national team.

Baptiste has the task of ensuring Kenya improves its performance at the last World Cup held in West Indies when the next event takes place in Asia in 2011. Kenya only beat Canada in the 2007 outing and should produce better results in the next event.

The coach should also be granted independence to run the team to guarantee results.

 

 

Read all about: International Cricket Council Cricket Kenya

 

 

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