News: Myanmar, 10 all out …..
well well……. just when you thought the mismatches had finally finished….. here comes the greatest of them all…… I am sure ACC is proud to have given the Myanmar bowlers a great eperience with the 2 balls they bowled….. and also their batsmen with the 10 runs they scored…… next time, they should try and improve….. .score at least 20 runs, and be able to bowl at least 1 full over against Nepal……..
It is a joke to get a team to participate in a tournament like the ACC Trophy when they confuse batting with ‘being able to hold a bat’…. I am sure that Myanmar will take a lot of heart from this performance and it would have excited them enough to work harder on their game…..
Venue: Club Aman
Toss: Nepal
NEPAL WON BY TEN WICKETS
Myanmar: 10 all out in 12.1 overs
(M.Alam 6.1-3-3-7; B.K.Das 6-3-4-3)
Nepal: 11 for 0 in 0.2 overs
Man of the Match: Mahaboob Alam (Nepal)
mopase
Nasir M. Khan
Nishadh Rego
Nasir M. Khan\'s Cricket blog 
My objection to this system is not only regarding the mismatches…… but also in the fact that the system fails to do what the ICC World League wants from its regional programs… i.e. to find the top 4-5 teams IN ORDER…… so that the qualifying team in the WCQS Div III is the best one from that region……..
Lets say that Qatar is the third best team in the region at the momment….. what will happen in the current trophy is that they will be matched up with UAE in the quarter finals…….. the third best team would get knocked out, and would then play for the 4-8 positions…… also, one bad day can throw the country in doldrums for 2 years……. such a thing cannot happen in a league system, where even if you lose one game, there is a chance to STILL make it to the top by playing the other games well…….. the TRUE order, can perhaps only be found by a league system, and not through this system that the ACC has…………
The system HAS to be changed. The thing is, after the UAE, the next 10 teams are probably all capable of beating each other, which is not the case in the other regions.
I’d go for a preliminary round before a 12 team first round, following the same format as the 2005 ICC Trophy, 2 groups of 6. This also reduces the chance of a team fluking it into the next stage.
I think UAE, Nepal, and Afghanistan are relatively equal. Nepal have proved it with two easy wins over Kuwait and Hong Kong. I’d say that after these three, there are 10 teams who are capable of beating each other, and four that are way behind. I’d still agree with Andrew that a 4 team prelim. has to be held, with the winner maybe playing the in the ACC Trophy. In this way you can have two groups of 7.
or 3 groups with 5 5 and 4, with the 1sts and 2nds in the group playing another round robin
Few things have to be kept in mind……
a) Expat based teams are vary a lot in standard every year, but historically they dont go beyond a certain standard….. Oman was runners up last time, and Kuwait and Qatar I think were semi finalists……. these 3 are nowhere today, and I dont know how much of that is improvement in other teams and how much is degradation in these 3……..
b) I would be ok with this 2 group, 6 team system if there was a super six round in it as well to ensure that the top 6 ranking is accurate. It makes a huge difference in the context of the world league……. the problem is, that the ACC tournament should finish in about 14 days…… I dont think a tournament with super six round after group matches is possible within a 2 week time frame……. what Rego is saying is also something to think about……
Nasir, there’s always a starting point. Should a team like USA have played in the champions trophy? Should 6 associates be playing in the world cup? Canada can’t even score 150 against Bermuda. What are they going to do against the big boys? Is Bermuda going to last against Pathan, Tendulkar, Vaas and Murali? I don’t think so! These are tournaments that also give players from these countries a chance to experience cricket at a higher level, learn alot about the sport, and gives them an opportunity to understand what they have to do to get better. How are Bhutan going to improve if they keep playing Myanmar and Brunei?
Secondly, a match is a match, whether it is a quarterfinal or a league game. The ACC Trophy has a group stage where countries are eliminated and countries qualify for the quarters. This is the same thing as the ECC Division 2 Tournament, so i dont see what the problem is. A good team performs when its most needed. Theres nothing one can do about draws and having UAE face Qatar or Kuwait or Nepal in the quarters. Ultimately you have to beat a better team if you are to get anywhere.
Rego,
I agree that Associates need exposure to develop but where’s the development when you get defeated in less than 15 overs? In my view, the Associates will learn only from tough games where their failure to handle the crunch situations well cost them dear…If a Bhutan is clearly better off than Myanmar or Brunei, then they can get promoted to the higher division PROVIDED the ACC bothers to introduce the divisional system..Also, these type of farces can dampen the enthusiasm of the players and the fans alike because only close matches resulting in memorable victories can make a sport more popular and thus make it thrive in these countries…
About whether Bermuda can standup to the Indian/Srilankan players, that’s again because of the flawed qualification system when an upset win by Bermuda against UAE saw them qualify ahead of arguably stronger teams like UAE and Namibia…Hopefully, the qualification to the 2011 edition will see teams like Nepal, Afghanistan, UAE, Namibia, Denmark, Uganda give a tougher fight to Canada, Bermuda and Kenya…
alright, in order to reconcile with everyone….. I have another format for the ACC Trophy…….
Have an ACC qualifying trophy for all the teams except for UAE, Nepal, Afghanistan and Malaysia. This will even include everyone from Myanmar, Brunei, China etc…… this can be on the same format that we are having right now, with the 2 finalists of the ACC Trophy going through to the premier league…….
Have a premier league consisting of UAE, Afghanistan, Nepal, Malaysia +2 finalists of the ACC Qualifying trophy. After this league is completed, relegate the bottom 2 teams to the qualifying tournament for the next edition.
I think that would not change the existing strucutre, plus it would also ensure that the top 6 teams get ranked correctly ……
comments?
Nasir..
Basically, what you are saying is similar to the divisonal format which is not finding favor because of this belief that there are about 10 teams capable of beating each other in the top league..
It shouldn’t be a problem to adopt the European style and have 5 in Div 1, 5 in Div 3 and the remaining 7 in Div 2…The winner from Div 3 enters Div 2 while two from Div 2 qualify for the Div 1 which’ll have 7 teams instead of the 6 you mentioned..maybe the number of teams in each division can be slightly different but this format seems to be the simplest and the most logical one…
Well….. you can modify what I am saying and have only UAE, Nepal and Afghanistan in premier div with 3 others joining them from the qualifying tournament……………
its not really a Euro style divisional system…… its just one which tries to avoid an incorrect match up at the Quarter Final or Semi Final stage…..
I would give Rego’s point of view some weightage, because of the fact that he has actually played for Thailand in these tournaments and can probably read the situation much better……………….
I don’t think anyone is saying Myanmar should never play better teams, just that they should have to earn the right to play better teams. Once you’ve proved to be the best at your level, then you get a shot at playing teams at a higher level. That’s why a divisional format is so good.
What did Nepal gain by sending Mynmar in to bat???
Fred….. I guess they wanted the day off……
Yeah I think its obvious we have three teams that are superior to the rest at this point: Nepal, UAE, and Afghanistan.
Lets get things straight once in for all. Its obvious ACC needs some sort of divisional system. In my book, there are only too possibilities.
1. you have 2 divistions. division 2 acts as a qualifier for division 1. Myanmar, Iran, Bhutan, Brunei can participate in this tournament, with the winners getting a chance to play the big boys. Division 1 would include the other 13 teams in plus the winner of division 2. Though a 14 team tournament might be too large and take too long, it might be the only way to determine a top six. I know teams like Thailand, Maldives, and Saudi Arabia have never gone past the first round in the ACC Trophy and possibly deserve to be in division 2, but truth be told, they would trash the 4 minnows and we would be seeing more “joke games.” Moreover these 3 teams have improved considerably and all three proved that to a certain extent this tournament. and trust me they will be stronger next time around.
2. A second scenario would be to have Nepal Afghanistan UAE in division 1 along with the teams ranked 4th 5th and 6th at this tournament. 7th to 14th could play a division 2 tournament with the minnows playing in division 3. The problem with this as i’ve said so many times before is that you might have a country like Oman with a brilliant group of expats winning division 1 one year, and then being thrashed the next year because those expats have left town! That is the problem with Asia. Apart from Nepal Afghanistan and UAE, you have 11 undpredictable and beatable teams!!!!! The way UAE were challenged by Saudi, u never know what can happen here. Its not as if when scotland plays italy, you know italy are going to be thrashed.
I think Oman qualifying and playing in the ICC Trophy was a big mistake. They beat USA, Uganda, and couple of others there. They even beat Bermuda and Denmark in warm up games. If a team like that had by chance qualified for the world cup, one of the largest flaws in the ICC structure would have been exposed, considering that same team, a year later could not beat Singapore, and Bahrain.
Its a complicated issue. Let the comments keep rolling in!.. I want to get to the bottom of this!.
I think sooner or later, the ICC might have to tighten its eligibility rules.
Can someone explain to me in detail how the ICC World League is going to work and how these regional tournaments work up to them..I mean I understand it in snippets, but i want the big picture.
A three division system is for the the way to go cuz thats the only way you are going to preapre a side to become a major cricketing nation.They have to play though cricket all the time to become better.In the next addition you will have china and indonesia too,which if continued in current format will give many more stupid matches than this tournament.
I was just wondering whether a Intercontinental Cup Division 2 could be started.
Nepal, Uganda, USA, Cayman Islands, Denmark, PNG could be part of this. This would give them regular international cricket. To determine the last three teams in this division, we could have a playoff between Afghanistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuwait in Asia to determine two of the teams, and could have another playoff between Fiji, Argentina, Italy, Tanzania to determine the last position.
Rego….. very frankly, only Nepal, Afghanistan, Uganda have any future in cricket at the momment beyond the current Intercontinental cup….. the game seems to be going backwards in Denmark, where their team make up is going to ‘born and bred’ from ‘mainstream’, and the standard is dropping as well of the juniors……. I would just like to see the ICC incorporate these 3 teams in the Intercontinental cup somehow…….
The others are too weak, or expat based (expat being different from born and bred)….. I dont think those countries need a higher standard of play, they have other basic issues of infrastructure not sorted out……..
Personally, I dont regard UAE or Namibia too highly either….. UAE it seems will not go beyond their current standard until Arabs start playing the game…… Namibia, I have always felt, is another Zimbabwe in the making unless they show some indegenous black players………
So technically, at the momment, the only countries that seem to be in any good standing are Scotland, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Uganda, Nepal, Afghanistan….. and you can add Cananda and Bermuda to that list given that they ARE benefitting from ODI status at the momment…………
do u have any idea about oman which is going to play world cup qaulification round division 2? specially after their performance in acc trophy?
I understand that, but given the current situation of the sport, with teams like UAE, Namibia, Bermuda all playing 4 day cricket, shouldn’t it be fair for teams like Nepal, Uganda, Malaysia, or any other country that has good playing standards to play at this level as well? Furthermore if a small nation like Bermuda can benefit from ODI status, and an expat or import based team like Canada is benefitting from ODI status, then surely all of the aformentioned countries could benefit from the exposure of 3 or 4 day cricket.
Sobhit….. Oman is STILL going to play in WCQS Div II…… they should get knocked down from there by the WCQS Div III qualifying teams……. thats the normal logic of a league system…..
Rego…… ‘good playing standards’….. thats the critical term….. I dont think that Italy, PNG, Malaysia are there yet………. PNG was obliterated in the ICC Trophy by the likes of Netherlands, Scotland…….. literally making their games into farce fests…….
I think if you are not producing the players who can see the ball properly, or are not quick enough in terms of reflexes, it doesnt matter if you play 4 day, or 50 over, or 20 over cricket……. its when you have the talent, the 4 day game gives you a better experience and hones a seperate set of skills………
For example….. Jimmy Kamande could only play air shots against Bangladesh even after making 3 runs off 40 balls…….. he could still not see the ball……. thats a problem with not having enough talent……. not a problem of polishing it out………..
I agree with your assessment on Bermuda and Canada….. but what can be done? These are in the top six associates in the world, and should get their chance of developing their game……..
Isn’t that the point of having an Interncontinental Cup Division 2. Have all these teams PLAY EACH OTHER, and the best out of them qualifying for division 1. I think PNG and Malaysia are good enough to compete with Nepal and Uganda. Its just a question of giving all these nations, who are “not quite” at the Scotland’s or Ireland’s standard a go at good quality 4 day cricket against opponents of their quality, with the winner and runner up getting the chance to play against Scotland Ireland Netherlands etc. Lets be honest Nepal was given the end of the stick having to play Namibia in Namibia on a one off basis where they didn’t even lose.
The IC Cup division two would give teams a chance to play better cricket. Furthermore, Teams like Namibia etc who come last in the division 1 can play in division 2
Rego…… I feel that any country can at least improve to a certain standard on their own, before the ICC needs to step in, to improve their stndard….. by improving infrastrucutre and facilities, playing numbers, etc, teams can go up to a certain level……. it is only after that that the ICC needs to step in with an international program for them, or with money, because they cannot go any further on their own (they can but it woudl take 50 years)…..
Malaysia and PNG are not at that level yet……. neither is Italy……. nor Argentina………..
If you look at both Afghanistan and Nepal, with a million players each, and at Uganda, with 30K players……. these ARE the countries that are in need to international exposure…………
Malaysia probably does not have the kids playing cricket day in and day out like Nepal or Afghanistan, otherwise their numbers are also good….. its not only about HOW MANY are playing, but also HOW MUCH those players are playing everyday……..
I’m trying to make a simple point. I agree that the “cricket craze” may not be present in PNG or Malaysia as it is in Nepal or Afghanistan, however Malaysia and PNG are doing very well for countries that do not have any influence from a test side. Both have players in their thousands and strong development programs. Both of these sides have reached a certain point, and though PNG have to work on infrastructural and structural development, they have a strong senior side that is better than that of Nepal and Uganda, and is completely indigenous. I don’t see why Malaysia and PNG should not be playing Division two..3-day cricket. I think if how much people were playing and how many people were playing was the main criteria is producing a first class team, we wouldn’t see Scotland, Netherlands, Bermuda, Namibia, Srilanka, NewZealand, and Zimbabwe where they are! I don’t think Zimbabwe and NZ have a million players playing the sport even now! I can stack the “negatives” up on Nepal, and Afghanistan as well. Afghanistan does not have a single turf wicket. Nepal does not have any sort of formal domestic league, it only has a national tournament once a year. Nepal also has problems with facilities and corruption.
The point i’m trying to make Nasir is that playing numbers and time spent on cricket is not the only factor. Malaysia and PNG have some things that Nepal Afghanistan and Uganda don’t that are equally important to the development of the sport in the country and that is why their senior teams are either better or on par with these countries, and that is why I’m proposing that all of these countries as the next best teams after the top 6 or 7 associates be allowed to play multiday cricket as well.
the first target for asian nations should being able to competewith therest for the six slots in the world division one league.The only good way to prepare for that is to play though cricket.Not the current format where countries like nepal and afghanistan have not played a decent match yet.
A six nation asian division one and also a six nation divison two is the best way forward…..the current format is only encouraging quantity of nations and the quality of cricket.
I think the system is very flawed. And Nepal always being in the stitch. Everyone knows that we are among the best teams but one bad game is all it takes to rob us of our opportunities. We are likely to face UAE in the semis, and I m pretty sure it will be the ACC trophy final. That will decide who takes the cup home! I sniff Nepal having a chance this year.
Also I wud like to stress if we had played the Asian cup, probably the situation wud have been different. We wud be probably playing the Intercontinental cup instead of Namibia. The system is very flawed!
And I find it very amusing ppl going I wud like to see this and that system and division as if it is ever gonna materialise. I wish there were visionary ppl like urself working in the ACC so that teams like Nepal, Malaysia, Afg could benefit! I dunno why the ACC is not as helpful as boards from other regions. And why is so much improtance given to the teams from America who dont even have a proper representing board! Its all money isnt it!
Rego….. I am not saying that playing numbers are the only thing…… take a look at:
Noire….. Nepal lost 2, and not 1 very important game in the WCQS Div III in 2005…… one to PNG, by 70 runs, and one to Fiji, by 3 runs……. they had the oppurtunity to qualify despite not being able to qualify from Asia directly………
Nasir, I meant 1 as in genral and not excat numbers!! We are so vulnerable…lose 1 game on a bad day and our cricket development can lag behind by 2-3 yrs. Say atm, Afg vs Malaysia and if Nepal has a bad game against Uae in semis…thats the end os 2011 WC for the teams above!!! N i dont think thats fair!! c where i m coming from??
Noire, Well thats the way the game is played isn’t it? I don’t think its only the system. Nepal lost to Qatar because they performed poorly. They still got chance to qualify through the WCQ Div. II where they lost to both Fiji and PNG. Basically, they just weren’t good enough. Hopefully that has changed
Nasir theres a great interview with Roger Binny, one of the ACC’s development officers on the ACC Website(asiancricket.org), talking about this ACC Trophy and the future of Asian cricket. You might want to have a small write up about it or smth
Rego..
I read that interview and must confess that Binny has rightly said that it’s only indigenous cricketing teams like Nepal that have a great chance to make it big in the near future…His pointing out of Thailand and Myanmar as promising countries though they still have a long, long way to go probably indicates that the interest for the game is already there like in Nepal and Afghanistan…But it’s strange that he’s hardly uttered a word about Afghanistan’s progress and about the new format for the next edition…
Rego…… I find it hilarious that Binny DOES think that Myanmar is the next big thing…… surely, if the public and governmental support was what he says it is, Myanmar would not have been 10 all out………. if a past colonial country, bordering India and Bangladesh (somewhat)….. is getting 10 all out, there is definitely nothing over there……. Binny is doing face saving for the ACC because this 10 all out has made global headlines in the cricketing world, and the ICC has probably given the ACC a nudge about what kind of a comedy tournament they are running…….
What he says about Thailand may be true…… we will have to wait for the ACC U15 tournament in December to see eaxctly how far Thailand program has advanced and what it holds for the future of teh game there…..
ACC also has another article on their website about why Myanmar and Nepal game was so important….. my foot…… why cant they just accept that they have screwed up and that they have been screwing up for a while except that this was such a big joke that everyone took notice….. there was a game once at the u19 level I think in the asian region where Brunei was bowled out for 11 runs in 2005……..
Nasir..
We must remember that Myanmar are the newest entrants to the ACC (and the ICC) of ALL the countries taking part in this tournament…Going by your colonial statement, this shouldn’t have been the case and that Myanmar should’ve been playing cricket for a long time…It must be remembered that Myanmar had (has?) a very closed economy implying that the influence of neighbors is highly limited and restricted…I think they deserve a few years time like Nepal and Afghanistan before gauging their prospects..
Ram, that is correct….. except for the fact that the tournament is taking place right now…… Myanmar should not have been playing because they were not a very weak team…… they were basically not a cricket team…… 10 all out is unthinkable on a flat batting track…….
Anyway….. ACC has 2 articles referencing Myanmar on their website on the main page updated today….. seems like they are feeling the heat….. they have also outlined the new 2 divisional format for the 2008 edition of the ACC Trophy………. even that is going to be knock out…….. but that may be double league, so it would be better than this…..
Did Myanmar actually need to play in this tournament for anyone to find out what their standard is?? the country made their association 4 months back…………
Myanmar being bright future prospects for the game is rather far-fetched. I agree. ACC did make a mistake in allowing Myanmar to play in this tournament & it does seem like Binny and the ACC Website seem to be doing a “cover up” or “justification” job on that count. However, to be fair to Myanmar itself, they had 7 or 8 indigenous players in their side. They managed to score 140 odd against Kuwait, and though they were thrashed overall, its not their fault at all. But yes, It will be 5- 10 years before Myanmar starts to become competitive in any capacity of international cricket, however the fact that the government has taken cricket on board, and indigenous players are taking up the game is a (very very faint) encouraging sign for the future.
In regards to Thailand, not to be biased or anything, but I agree completely with Roger Binny says. If the development program continues to be managed properly, and with the commencement of a national provincial league, theres no reason why Thailand shouldn’t become a force on the Asian scene. The Thai people are very nimble, and agile people, somewhat like the Nepalese, and cricket, a non-contact sport suits them perfectly. The U-15 ACC Cup in December should be a good measure of how the boys are doing, though it all depends on how much preparation is put in. I think we will still have tough competition from the big pakistani schoolboys from Oman Qatar and Saudi Arabia. I’m actually hoping to be assistant coach of the U-15 Team for the dec. tournament, though i doubt they will allow a 17yr old to be so. Hopefully it wrks out!
That said, From events unfolding at the ACC trophy today, there seems to be a new level that some of the Asian countries are reaching, Afghanista, Nepal, and UAE seem too strong for other teams in the Asian region, be it Malaysia, Qatar, or Bahrain. If you ask me, I think we are seeing the emergence of a division in quality in Asia, just as we see with Scotland, Ireland, and Netherlands in Europe, that will grow more pronounced in the future.
Can someone kindly remind me playing against PNG n Fiji wcq div II..SOmehow those two games have slipped by me…any article at that time…scorecards!!
Thx.
Nasir…just a point or two about Malaysia and the deterioration of their senior side. I find it quite unfortunate really because they have such potential. They are not going about it the right way.
Personally, i think selection policies might have something to do with this. Malaysia also have a bit of a problem in the Asian Region in the sense that after a player passes the U-19 level, there is no international cricket for him unless he makes the National side immediately. Malaysia are losing alot of players who might have matured at 22 or 23 because of this. There needs to be a an “A side” program, a national academy, and other incentives for players to stay in the game. Another reason why Malaysia hasnt been competitive is because their national selection base comes largely from their junior sides. In their present side, they have a 16yr. old first choice wicketkeeper who bats at 11, and apart from their top 5 or 6, they are predominantly a side from the U-19s and U-21s who haven’t had much experience of senior cricket. I know their junior sides are amongst the best in Asia, however, they fail to realize that they are coming up against seasoned Pakistani and Indian firstclass cricketers in the seniors as opposed to school boys or junior state players who are at their level, in the juniors. That is why Malaysia is having problems with its senior side.
Rego, I feel that’s a good point you are making about Malaysia…Do you mean that’s the problem Nepal is also facing given that they’ve an U19 team that’s almost of Test standard but a senior side that’s not even the best in Asia outside of the Test world?…Stretching your logic, maybe that can also explain why cricket in the American region is failing to raise beyond the expat-based countries like Canada and USA though I don’t know if the U19 sides of Cayman Is/Bermuda/Argentina currently show any real promise…
Nepal is similar to a certain extent, but the fact that their U-19 teams have been the best in the Non-test world, allow them to use U-19 players in their senior side and still compete, at least at the Asian level. However I think, in order to eventually match sides like Scotland, Ireland, and Kenya, Nepal will have to have a serious “A team” program, a proper national league(which they don’t have now), and a running national academy. For this they need more money!
From what I see, we are seeing two main trends amongst the top non-test sides. Those who have followed completely indigenous programs ie. Nepal, Uganda, PNG, Kenya, Scotland, Ireland and those that have followed expat programs ie. UAE, Canada, USA, gulf Countries, Hong Kong etc.
From experience, it seems that only Scotland, and Ireland have been able to garner consistent top notch sides at the non test level (lets not talk about Kenya: totally different situation). Uganda, Nepal, and PNG, who are the top indigenous sides apart from those two have failed with their national sides in relation to Canada, UAE, and USA. This is because of a variety of reasons including lack of facilities etc., however Nepal, and Uganda have relied heavily on juniors and youngsters to make up their national sides. They have to get more seasoned players with experience in their national sides to compete with teams like Scotland Canada and UAE. This will only come from more A level cricket, better domestic structures to ensure top level domestic competition at the senior level, and a national academy(like Kenya have).
Frankly, i don’t know what the situation is with Argentina and Cayman Islands. To me it seems that Argentina still have alot of junior development work to do before they can create a healthy base of junior and senior players to compete for spots on their national sides. Then they can wrry about A teams and the such. I think they would be creamed by Nepal and Uganda. I mean Cayman Islands lost by 6 wickets to Qatar last year. Thats like the scoreline of the Thailand-Qatar game, though conditions might have been different. I think Cayman Islands and Argentina are nowhere near Nepal or Uganda, so theres no point really comparing them.
NOIRE…check up on the WCQ Div II tournament held in Malaysia last year. you’ll find it on the ICC website or on Cricinfo Archives. Nepal lost to PNG by 70 runs PNG made 240 odd and Nepal made 173. Nepal lost to fiji by 3 runs. Fiji made 145 odd and nepal made 142 or smth. just check it up.
Rego..It’s surprising given the public interest that Nepal have a highly inefficient board with little financial backing from the corporates or Govt for the establishment of a national domestic league or Academy…I wonder why Nepal are not willing to host UAE (who shouldn’t have problems paying for airfares if that means more cricket!) for a short series of 3/5 one-day games given that such games will attract huge crowds and thus have tremendous potential for making much needed money..
About Thailand, I would like to know if the game is catching up there or is it still largely unknown to the common public?
Well Rogo, thats not the case with Malaysia only…I think I m safe to say its the case with Nepal as well..and all the other affilates and associates of ACC except UAE. Lets now lament upon that. Money matters..and none of our boards are rich..and we dont gt sponsors either coz of the countries economy!
But rest assured I have this feel…Nepal has it coming for years…We are hungry for a win…and I have this feeling that we are gonna beat UAE in the Semis! Let the battle ommence!!
A very good point Ram. I don’t think UAE would be willing to pay for to come play in Nepal. Its usually the host who arranges and pays for the series. Unless Nepal can find big name corporate sponsors, I don’t see that happening.
In Thailand, its very interesting. The game is actually not very popular amongst Thai people in Bangkok. Its only now that people are starting to hear of cricket and that Thailand has a team (Hosting the Emerging Nations has helped with this). In the North of the country, in Chiang Mai, thailand’s second largest city, and Khon Khaen Province, cricket has really caught on amongst the kids. Soccer is obviously by far the most popular sport, but 1000s of kids in the north are taking to cricket. Phuket, a large southern island, also has its own league now, and though its an expat league, lots of development wrk is being done to help the locals. The annual Sixes tournaments in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hua Hin and Phuket also help alot with development in terms of finances and popularity.
Alot of touring sides have started to come to Thailand like never before, and this is good for the game. A couple of Srilankan District Sides came and played the U-19s. A top Australian Cricket School with some state players came a few months ago and played the U-19s as well.
I don’t think UAE would pay for a trip to play in Nepal. Its usually the host and organizer that pays in these types of tournaments unless they are ACC funded. Unless Nepal finds big corporate money, i don’t think this will happen.
Regarding Thailand, only recently (after hosting the Emerging Nations) have people in Bangkok started to become aware that Thailand has a cricket team. However, in the Northern Provinces, there are 1000s of kids who are playing the sport, and CAT has coaches who have been appointed to these regions, who live there and take care of their development. These are Thai and Foreign Level 1 & 2 Coaches. Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong are the only countries in Asia that have their own coaching systems and have resisted appointing big name foreign coaches except during ACC tournaments. These three countries are the only countries where all the local coaches are paid.
We are also working with the National Baseball Federation, and some of the Big Universities in Bkk to start popularizing the sport in Bkk. The annual Sixes tournaments held in Bangkok Chiang Mai Hua Hin and Phuket also help with development through finances and popularity and usually attract some pretty big names. Phuket, a southern Island, also has its own league and is pllanning to build its own stadium with corporate money.
we also have many visiting teams that have started coming over the last year or two for practice tours, which is a great thing. We had a couple of srilankan district teams, NCC from srilanka, and a specialist Australian Cricket School come to play the U-19s and U-17s at the start of the season.
Another encouraging sign is that the Thai Provincial junior teams which already compete in national championships at the U-13 and U-15 level, are all being sponsored by big name companies Like Pepsi Wallmart McDonalds etc.
The next plan is to start a full National League with home and away fixtures involving the provinces of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Khaen, Phuket, Petchabun, Chon Buri, and Hua Hin. Right now only Bangkok Chiang Mai and Hua Hin have proper national level grounds and some of these provinces still only have junior squads so this might still take 4 or 5 years. However all of this development involves the ethnic people so overall cricket is on the up. Very soon we are going to overtake both Hong Kong and Singapore at the junior level(U-13 to U-19), and then the aim is to be competitive at the senior level with an indigenous team.
Thailand has a population of 60 million + and is the 15th most population nation in the world. If we can interest the masses in the sport, which I’m not saying will be easy, this country has the potential to be one of the top cricket nations in a matter of decades.
Noire…… the country;s economy may not have that much of a part to play……. whatever the size of the country’s economy, as long as its over a billion dollars, its pretty big, because the whole economy is focussing on one product…..
Uganda is a poorer country than Nepal, Kenya is even poorer than Uganda….. yet Uganda has 3-4 sponsors…….. Kenya has at least some interested, and has 1, though from Pakistan….
Nepal can easily get a sponsor, its a matter of managing the board properly……. in any case, some airlines and services in Nepal are now offering to hire players for the sake of playing cricket……. that should at least start off the professionalism process…….. the rest is upto the board to organize tours that can perhaps generate some interest amongst the Nepali public…… ICC can also help out, but those would be radical changes…… good to think about, but they are not going to be implemented….
Rego,
Very interesting comments on Thailand, a few more questions if you don’t mind.
Is the growth in Thailand largely due to expats taking the game to Thais? Anyting about Thai culture which makes this more succesful than in the UAE or Canada? Or is it due to a few commited individuals on the Thai cricket board?
Is Cricket available on satellite TV in Thailand?
You talk about co-operating with the Baseball federation. Is Baseball more popular than Cricket at the moment? Im not one who thinks Baseball is really a threat to Cricket (the territories of both sports hardly overlap) but it seems strange for competing bat and ball sports to co-operate with each other.
Nasir there is huge interest in Nepal, but the corporate sponsors simply haven’t come forward. The Nepal Board also has to do more to attract sponsors and teams to play series in the country.
Alot of it has been through expats taking the game to the Thai kids. Its only in the last two or three years that ethnic Thai coaches have emerged. We probably have 6 to 8 ethnic thai coaches in the country, which certainly isn’t enough, but is a start.
The difference between countries like Thailand and countries like CAnada or UAE is that a large part of the ethnic population in this country is in poverty or is part of the lower middle class, which means that without sport and extra curricular, alot of these kids would be involved in drug smuggling, gangs etc, especially in the North opium production, drugs smuggling etc. are a big industry. The Association has targeted kids in the rural areas and cricket has in a sense, given them a new life and the chance to represent their country. Interest has started to filter through the schools, villages, and towns in the rural areas. The problem with Canada or USA is that cricket is probably seen as an expat sport even amongst the locals. Furthermore, the locals are involved in other sports and also receive alot more media and tv coverage of sports such as hockey, football and basketball.
Cricket is available on satellite TV in Thailand, but at the moment this is geared towards the large expat populations in bkk etc. The only sports shown on local tv are soccer, and sepaktakraw. If cricket can find a place on one of the local television stations, even through advertisements, interest would rise ten-fold.
I think the point the CAT has tried to make with co-operating with the national baseball federation is that it has tried to show thais who play baseball that this is a sport that is similar to baseball and that can be learned easily as a baseballer. Baseball coaches are starting to work parttime with the Cricket Association, simply because batting, runs, scores, etc are easier for them to understand as baseball players. Sooner or later, cricket will start taking players away from baseball, and cooperation will probably end there. At moment, baseball is being used as a bridge to introduce people to cricket, as there are alot more people involved with baseball than cricket especially in bkk.
Another unique aspect of the Thai people is that they are not physically large or strong enough to be world beaters in soccer, or rugby. Cricket and baseball are non-contact sports where size and the physical aspect of things do not matter as much
the country;s economy may not have that much of a part to play……. whatever the size of the country’s economy, as long as its over a billion dollars, its pretty big, because the whole economy is focussing on one product…..
Is that a joke? And am I supposed to laugh? Well economy is the pivot for all development including sports. Most of the sports nation u see today are either rich or have an extremly well env to the sports they are famous for. US, China..they are the best in olympics..coz they are rich..so is the case with football, not counting few one hit wonders..and cricket has the same story. Zimbabwe was doing alright until their govt stumled and there was a heavy effect on the country’s economy!! And as a student of economy, How can ever a whole economy focus on one product!! That can never happen..unless we take a model..and if we take a model..thatz wut it is..and not the whol of economy!
And creating an interest amongsts the public is quite laughable too. Cud well be an award winning joke! I can say Nepal is the ony place where u get tons of ppl to watch even if it were u-15 or u-19 games. IT only matters if Nepal is playing or not. N other games at associate level is worthless watching. I did pay rs 25 myself when I went to watch a game there once..and with over 10000 crowd just on the final..rs 250000 was right there..which is a lot. But again I knew ppl who had freebies! It was easy. SO how can we tackle it..we need stadiums..and how can we afford stadiums? we need sponsors. And when will the sponsors come forward…if the business is doing good. ANd when is hte business gd? If the economy is good!!
But again I wanna tell, its not the prob with Nepal only. Its a universal prob among us ACC affiliates n members!
Noire….. i said something very simple, please try to understand it…..
Countries which are poorer than Nepal have been able to get sponsors, and have been able to invest in stadiums, like Uganda, Kenya and even Swalizand…… what is Swaziland cricket?? probably weaker than even Myanmar…….
When Nepal plays, the whole Nepal country is focussed on watching them…… its not like when San Diego plays San Francisco, where only the 2 cities would be watching primarily…… the whole of Nepal watching is a big enough market for all sorts of sponsors to come in and patronzie the team……..
Uganda had 2-3 sponsors for even the U19 team…… tell me, what great economy is backing all those sponsors??? none….. its only public interest which causes ALL the potential companies in the country, even if there are only 20 of them, to be interested….. and thats a pretty big number when it comes to sponsoring only 1 national team…..
Zimbabwe team has a sponsor even right now…… Zimbabwe is probably poorer than Nepal too, probably was so even before the whites got hit…………
Maldives cricket has close to 5-6 sponsors my friend……its about planning things out and running the bodies properly………..
The thing is that maybe there is interest, but sponsors dont know that….. for that CAN has to showcase the interest by getting teams to come and play in Nepal……… that would get sponsors interested……
We are talking about professionalizing only 20 players over here, and making 2-3 facilities……. not the whole infrastrucutre……. Pakistan does not have professional cricketers beyond the A team, and the A team was also made professional only 2 years back…… before that, a world champion Pakistan had only the national team as pro, while the rest were amateurs……. reminds me of a strange incident 3 months back, when Arshad Khan was told to report back to his banking duty instead of being in the national team………
Yeah I remember that..
I don’t thing sponsorship has very much to do with the economy of the country. You’re always going to have a private sector however miniscule or massive it may be, and if your China, you’re going to have a government that runs the sporting industry and culture and has the money to spend. Nepal does have sponsors, but these sponsors haven’t put money forward in the amounts that are required to improve infrastructure. I know the Nepalis people have a love for the sport, and CAN has to utilize this feeling amongst the people to receive maximum benefit, something it isn’t not doing. If Malaysia has a 3 year deal with HSBC bank, which gives them huge amounts of money for their development program, surely Nepal could get funds from the large banks, hotels, and sporting companies located in Kathmandu or even Northern INdia.
hello guys can any one post the qualifying structure for 2011 world cup cricket in asia’s point of view… and explain please