Kenya is in the grip of a drought, but there are runs aplenty at the Nairobi Gymkhana Club Peter Robinson in Nairobi Kenya’s minister for the environment let his view on law and order be known this week. He reckons criminals, even those merely under suspicion, should be taken out and lynched publicly. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Steve Tshwete, you old softie, you. This may not have been quite the welcome the International Cricket Council (ICC) wanted as teams from around the world arrived for the mini-World Cup, otherwise known as ICC Knockout 2000, but it does illustrate that the world is not always as it might fondly be imagined at the ICC headquarters at Lord’s. Kenya is in the grip of a savage drought. Outside the plush hotels in which the players, officials and media are quartered, water is in short supply and in recent weeks there has been, of all things, a sugar shortage. Crime, as evidenced by the environment minister, is a serious problem and there is a growing Aids crisis. None of which is to suggest that the tournament, the biggest one-day event to be staged on the African continent, should not have been staged here. The problem is that the approach of the ICC seems to have been to throw in as sponsorship US$1-million of the US$550-million recently negotiated in a rights deal with the World Sports Group, send out a couple of fresh-faced officials to tell the locals how to run things and expect everything to work. It hasn’t. For example, I quote from the official ICC advice to the media: “There are at present only three telephone lines into the media centre, which we hope to increase to five.” Extra lines have been found by desperate television companies. One TV producer “bought” his additional lines at US$1 000 a shot. A whiff of extortion hangs around the place.
Amazingly, the ICC did not call in South Africa, the dominant power in the region, for help and advice in organising the event. The only visible South African presence, and a substantial one at that, has been in the shape of Andy Atkinson, the former Newlands and Wanderers groundsman. It is to Atkinson’s credit that for the early games both the pitches and the outfield were in excellent condition (the Nairobi Gymkhana Club has its own borehole).
To be fair, the tournament has managed to escape major catastrophes or scandals so far. That is if you discount President Daniel arap Moi’s entourage trampling all over the pitch before the start of play on the first day. And Sri Lanka, on the evidence of their 108-run trouncing of the West Indies on Wednesday, could be, with Australia, one of the teams to beat as South Africa defend the title they won in Bangladesh two years ago.
The Sri Lankans had a most disappointing World Cup in England a year ago in conditions that did not suit their dashing approach to the one-day game. On Atkinson’s pitches their batsmen are likely to prosper.
On Wednesday Aviska Gunawardena produced as entertaining a one-day century as you are likely to see this year, while Mahela Jayawardena batted beautifully for his 72. On Sunday Sri Lanka play Pakistan in the quarterfinals. Bet on Sri Lanka to reach the semis.
n South Africa left Johannesburg on Thursday for Nairobi with a squad that does not contain Nantie Hayward, named one of South Africa’s five Cricketers of the Year at a banquet to launch the 2000 edition of the Mutual and Federal Cricket Annual on Wednesday night. Hayward struggled as a one-day bowler during the Singer Cup in Sri Lanka in July, but is likely to be a key figure in this summer’s six Test matches. The other players honoured were Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, and two overseas-born players, Ken Rutherford of Gauteng and Border’s Vasbert Drakes. As always, the selection of the five players is the personal choice of the editor, Colin Bryden. He will be pleased to learn that his picks have the approval of at least one well-qualified judge. “Good choices,” was the view of former South African coach Bob Woolmer, currently in Nairobi as a radio commentator. Peter Robinson is the editor of CricInfo South Africa