On The Cricket Pitch

CI cricketers make bid for World Cup 2007

Philip Hackett

Wednesday,  January 19, 2005

The Cayman Islands cricket team will continue the quest for a berth in the 2007 World Cup when they compete in a qualifying tournament next month.

The Cayman Islands Cricket Association (CICA) recently named a squad of fourteen that will be going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in the ICC Division 2 World Cup Qualifying Series.

The tournament is scheduled for February 21 to 27 and the winner goes off to the ICC Trophy competition in Ireland later this year. The top five teams from that event will qualify for the 2007 World Cup here in the Caribbean.

The Cayman Islands squad will be led by all rounder Ryan Bovell. The team manger is Alister Carter while the coaching duties will be performed by Theo Cuffy and Andy Myles. The other members of the team are Pearson Best, Omar Bryan, Laurence Cunningham, Ronald Ebanks, Ryan Ebanks, Steve Gordon, Ainsley Hall, Franklin Hinds, Saheed Mohammad, Troy Taylor, Kenute Tulloch, Michael Wight and Philip Wight. It will be the first overseas engagement without the experienced David and Chris Wight since they retired from international cricket, having given several years of outstanding service. Fans can still look forward to seeing David and Chris when they turn out for By Rite in the 2005 division one competition scheduled to begin the first weekend in March. 

In Malaysia, Cayman will be playing the first round against Fiji, Qatar, and Zambia. The other countries involved are Italy, Papua New Guinea, Kuwait and Nepal.

The new World Cup Qualifying system has a well set out pathway for qualification and it is up to the countries involved to make the best use of the opportunity.

The qualification series started in August of 2003 when the European Cricket Council Trophy was staged. The qualifying system includes three tournaments in Europe, two in Africa and the Americas and one in Asia and East Asia-Pacific.

Those making it past the early tournaments will compete in the ICC Trophy 2005 to be held in Ireland early in July. Twelve teams will play 25 matches at 42 venues with the final scheduled for Clontarf, the ground where Ireland defeated Surrey in last year’s Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. 

If Cayman can win in Kuala Lumpur, they will contest the 2005 ICC Trophy in a group with Canada, Holland, Namibia, Oman and Scotland. Bermuda, Denmark, Ireland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and the United States will play in the other group.

The national team has been in the nets Monday through Thursday for three-hour sessions starting at 4 pm and again on Saturdays from 9 am until 12.30 pm. 

When the series of practice matches continued last Sunday, Bovell and Tulloch were the outstanding players. Bovell smashed four sixes and nine fours in a knock of 102 as his team scored 248 all out. Ronald Ebanks was not out on 48. 

Tulloch, who took a hat trick in a practice match towards the end of last year, had seven for 40 off 10 overs. Zitroy Robertson’s team replied with 101 for six in 34 overs. Pearson Best top scored with 27 while medium pacer Matthew Rose took three for 22 in seven overs.

Another practice match is planned for the Jimmy Powell Oval next Sunday. It will be the first match played at that venue since Hurricane Ivan and it provides the first chance since then for players to bat on a turf pitch.

Over the next few weeks readers of Cayman Net News will have the opportunity to learn more about the players entrusted with the task of taking Cayman along the road to the prestigious 2007 Cricket World Cup.

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