More must be done to help U-19 cricket team

Finally, there is something uplifting from the Kenyan crease to write home about. We can as well argue that there have been many positive things about Kenyan cricket in the past 10 or so years, but they were all covered with tonnes of missteps that even the extremely positive ladies and gentlemen who love cricket could not see or feel.

On Saturday, the Under 19 boys’ national team qualified for the Under 19 World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand in January and February next year — and suddenly there was a glimmer of hope that after years of trial and error, things are looking up. As I wrote in a news piece yesterday, the young Kenyan young men walloped Uganda black and blue, and made it through by seven wickets with a massive 249 balls to spare. That is no mean feat considering that Uganda are increasingly becoming East Africa’s cricketing power house because several factors are working in their favour.

What factors are working in Uganda’s favour yet economically and even democratically Kenya is doing better, and when it comes to cricket Kenya have been to higher echelons than them?
Uganda’s cricketing teams are forward-thinking. They are aware that they have stronger neighbours who have been to the cricket’s biggest stage, the Cricket World Cup five times and pulled some of the biggest upsets.

When Uganda’s cricketers and those who work with cricket-related bodies want inspiration and encouragement, they look across the border and hope that in future, they can be like their neighbours. The first thing they usually do is look for the stones that Kenyan cricket have rejected, either through acts of omission or commission — or just because Kenya feel they have better building blocks and cannot work with ‘have-beens.’

Uganda tend not to waste opportunities, but Kenya not only fail to take advantage of the little progress they make, but also do not build on the small gains they have accomplished over time, and by and by, Kenya’s ‘have beens’ cross the border. Of course it may not be possible to accommodate everybody who has represented Kenya, but efforts can always be made to have them stay home, considering the (advanced) coaching courses they were given were a part of a larger scheme to help Kenya build capacity.

It is common knowledge that the biggest millstone around Kenya’s neck is the perennial failure of the country’s cricket lords to be forward-looking. We cannot change history, but you are just as good as your last game. While Uganda and many other cricketing countries that have overtaken Kenya, or are on the verge of doing so, look ahead, Kenya dwell on the past and hope the glory of yore will translate in to future wins.

Forward-thinking

Qualification to the Under 19 World Cup should be a constant reminder that forward-thinking helps and if more is to be achieved, then investment in youth structures must be a priority. This qualification should be considered the beginning of better days ahead. It is a step in the right direction, and Cricket Kenya and all who made it a success should be lauded, but they should not spend valuable time stepping on the toes of their critics and boasting that they have achieved a rare feat and forgetting that more must be done.

New Zealand will, from January 13 to February 3, host 10 ICC Full Member nations who have plenty of resources at their disposal, and even the five other minnows are no pushovers. Of course Jimmy Kamande and his charges, and the technical bench understand that the hardest part is yet to come, and that between now and the time they leave for the tournament, they will put in more work that will make Kenyan cricket thrive again.

The writer is an editor with The Standard, Weekend Editions