da doce： Nairobi – First, the bad news from Nairobi, immediately adding theKenyan capital to a long list that has encompassed most of thecricketing globe over the past few years
da bet7： Tony Cozier03-Oct-2000Nairobi – First, the bad news from Nairobi, immediately adding theKenyan capital to a long list that has encompassed most of thecricketing globe over the past few years.Preparing for the second ICC Knockout here, the West Indies weresoundly trounced by India in a practice match on Sunday, by sixwickets with 16.2 overs to spare and, to add injury to insult, hadthree of their 14 players – captain Jimmy Adams, Nixon McLean and oneof the newcomers, Kerry Jeremy – unavailable with one ailment oranother.Now for the good news. After they had been reduced to 18 for four -among them Brian Lara lbw to Venkatesh Prasad without scoring – theirtwo youngest members, Sylvester Joseph and Marlon Samuels, both ontheir first senior tours, joined forces to save face with a fifthwicket partnership of 129.The circumstances demanded more care and attention than is best forthe shortened form of the game and the total of 170 for six from the50 overs was put into its puny perspective by the Indian batsmen.But, according to manager Ricky Skerritt, Joseph, the 22-year-oldAntiguan, and Samuels, the 19-year-old Jamaican, batted with amaturity and purpose that saved the West Indies from the kind ofembarrassing total that has become depressingly familiar.Joseph, whose only One-Day International was against Pakistan atKensington Oval in April, scored 68 from 108 balls, with seven fours,before he was bowled by Prasad attempting to up the tempo in theclosing overs.Samuels, who has not yet played for Jamaica far less the West Indies,finished unbeaten 62, from 131 balls with two fours. Only lack ofexperience, Skerritt said, prevented him from accelerating towards theend.Adams missed the warm-up against India with a back strain, McLean wasresting a groin twinge as a precaution and Jeremy, the 20-year-oldfast bowler from Antigua on his first tour, had a sore ankle aftertaking a blow at net practice the day before.All were at net practice yesterday and only Adams was still unsure ofhis availability, even though he was reported to be much improved.This is the second such tournament, the so-called mini World Cup,played as a straight, sudden death knockout. It is aimed at raisingmoney for the ICC’s global development programmes and to carry thegame at the highest level to new outposts.The first was staged in Bangladesh two years ago when the West Indiesreached the final, losing to South Africa. Since then, the ICC hasgiven Bangladesh and Kenya full One-Day International status so thatthey join the established Test teams, bringing the numbers to 11.Marketed under the title Cricket, The Spirit of Africa, it brings thegame’s best players to a country where cricket is battling toestablish itself among the native African population that was onceeffectively kept out of it.The ICC is offering the incentive of US$1 million in prize money, morethan was available in last year’s World Cup in England. The winnersget US$250 000, the losing finalists US$140 000 with even first roundlosers guaranteed US$60 000.The ICC is also paying member boards a lump sum to cover theirparticipation.On the seedings based on last year’s World Cup, the West Indies havebeen bracketed in the preliminary round with India, Sri Lanka,England, Kenya and Bangladesh. The other five teams await the winnersin the quarter-finals.The tournament gets going with the hosts, Kenya, against India todayon the Gymkhana Club ground which, in size, facilities andenvironment, bears a striking similarity to the Antigua RecreationGround before its more recent developments.The West Indies start – and, given their recent overseas record of 12defeats in 13 One-Day Internationals and the general inexperience ofthe team, probably end – their campaign on Tuesday against Sri Lanka.If they advance, Pakistan would be their quarter-final opponents.Let’s not get carried away and project beyond that.
