ICC Trophy- the preview
Ben Stinga and Dave Liverman
29 June 2005
Canada's best have a tough task ahead of them as they attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. To do so, they must finish in the top five in the ICC Trophy, being played in Ireland this July. Twelve countries have qualified for the tournament:- Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (Europe); Bermuda, Canada, USA (Americas); Namibia, Uganda (Africa), Oman, United Arab Emirates (Asia); Papua New Guinea.
Through the luck of the draw (based in part on seedings from qualifying tournaments), the four semi-finalists from ICCT 2001 in Canada are all in the same group- Canada, Scotland, Netherlands and Namibia. There's little doubt that Group B will be far the harder of the groups to qualify from. The imbalance was clearly shown in the warm-up matches that featured Group A - Group B match-ups where only UAE and Ireland from Group A recorded wins.
If Canada finish first or second in their group, then a World Cup place is assured; a third or fourth place finish means a match against a Group A 3rd or fourth place finisher to reach the crucial 5th- 6th play-off on July 11, with a World Cup place at stake. Given the opposition, even third place in the group will be difficult.
We analyse the teams below - based on our picks we feel the top three in Group A to be Ireland, UAE and Uganda. Ireland clearly are the favourites - it would be a surprise if they did not top the group. The rest of the group is wide open. Denmark have declined in recent years, the USA are an aging team with inadequate preparation, and Bermuda are talented but inconsistent. Ugandan cricket is on the rise and they've showed a consistent improvement since their fine showing in the ICCT 2001. UAE have a talented, well prepared side. If Canada finish 3rd or 4th in the group, they will will be competitive against any of these teams in cross-over matches. Group B contains 6 strong teams. Oman and Papua New Guinea may have the potential to upset the other four teams, but it seems likely that there will be a tense four-way battle between Canada, Scotland, Netherlands and Namibia. On form, Scotland should win the group, and Namibia seem very strong. Our prediction is that Canada- Netherlands may prove to be the crucial match for 3rd place. Canada's task however is simple- they must at minimum win three games, and preferably four.
Our prediction here is that Canada will finish 3rd or 4th in their group, and will play UAE or Uganda in cross-over games to reach the 5th- 6th play off. On form Canada should win that match but in a winner takes all contest, anything might happen.
We present below a more detailed analysis of the teams taking part in the ICC Trophy.
Group A
Bermuda
Bermuda have to be rated as underdogs leading into the ICC Trophy. On their day they are an exciting and formidable combination but whether they can string together enough consistent performances remains to be seen. In Clay Smith and Dennis Archer they have two tried and true campaigners who are potential match winners. Of Smith it has been said that under different circumstances and perhaps in a different era, he would have been a star at a higher level. He is without question one of the best batsmen in the tournament. Archer, even at 42 years of age, is still a wonderful medium pacer. But what of the rest?
Janeiro Tucker is a dangerous all-rounder and so is South African born Saleem Mukuddem. OJ Pitcher and Delyone Borden are young batsmen with potential (Pitcher is also a useful leg-spinner) and Chris Foggo is another to keep an eye on. Perhaps the real x-factor could be the burly figure of Dwayne Levercock. He has been a consistent wicket taker with his left arm spinners over recent times and is noted as an inspirational performer when his country most needs him.
Qualification Chances: Unlikely
Denmark
The Danes have a long and proud history in cricket which dates back to the 1860's when the British introduced the sport to the country during the constuction of the railways. Some say that Danish cricket reached its high point in the 1970's and 80's, just failing to qualify for the 1979 world cup and in the same period producing several outstanding players including Ole Mortensen who went on to take 434 wickets for Derbyshire. Danish cricket is now at a very important stage in its history. While its main rivals, Holland, Ireland and Scotland have improved steadily, Danish cricket seems to have stagnated somewhat, although there are programs underway to re-ignite the sport at junior level and this seems to be having a positive effect. Danish born Kent pro, Amjad Khan was expected to have a big say in Denmark's fortunes in the ICC Trophy but unfortunately it would appear as though he is now unavailable.
The team will rely heavily upon young wicketkeeper batsman Frederik Klokker who is a recent graduate of the MCC young cricketers program and has played club cricket and scored hundreds in the West Australian club competition. Others who may be expected to contribute strongly include the veteran batsman Mickey Lund, former Pakistan international Aftab Ahmed, captain Carsten Pedersen and promising youngster Johan Malcolm Hansen. Denmark's chances of having a good tournament may depend upon the ability of lesser known players such as Jesper Hansen, Bobby Chawla, David Borchersen, Niels Kopperholdt and others to stand up and perform despite their inexperience. The Danes will be without 2001 ICC Trophy star fast bowler Soren Vestergaard.
Qualification chances: Unlikely
Ireland
It has been suggested that Ireland lack penetrating bowlers. But if that is true will it matter? The Irish have possibly the most talented batting line-up in the tournament and are capable of chasing down very big totals. A quick look through their top order reveals an array of batting talent with great versatility and depth.
Jason Molins and Jeremy Bray are quality openers. Ed Joyce is a class player with a highest first class score of 192 and a highest List A score of 100* for Middlesex in the English county competition. He is being touted as a future England player after an excellent start to the County season. Andre Botha, who is also a useful medium pacer has a highest List A score of 139 and Andrew White has a first class hundred to his name. Eoin Morgan at just 18 years of age is already playing county cricket for Middlesex and is tipped to be a batsman of the highest quality. Peter Gillespie, powerful all rounder Trent Johnston, Dominick Joyce and Kyle McCallan are also very good batsmen.
On paper the bowling doesn't look as potent. Nasser Shoukat 62 List A wickets at 24.03, Adrian McCoubrey 4 wickets at 48.50, Botha 26 wickets at 32.38, Paul Mooney 14 wickets at 20.07 and Gordon Cooke 21 wickets at 37.61 plus former Australian Johnston are the medium pacers who will be expected to get some early breakthroughs. The spin bowling rests with McCallan (13 List A wickets at 52.07) and White (3 wickets at 45.66). Home ground advantage should be enough for the Irish to finish on top of their group and automatically qualify for the World Cup.
Qualification Chances: Excellent
Uganda
Uganda are arguably the most unpredictable team in the tournament and perhaps one of the most talented. Their squad contains 12 players aged 24 or under and from these, four players, (Hamza Saleh 19, Patrick Ochan 16, Raymond Otim 18 and Emmanuel Isaneez 18) are recent graduates from the 2004 under 19 World Cup. Kenny Kamyuka is a lively opening bowler and a tremendous clean hitter of the ball. Who could forget his 54 ball century against Malaysia in the 2001 ICC Trophy where he hit eight 6's and four 4's? Junior Kwebiha is a quality batsman and very good medium pace bowler, Joel Olweny has the flair and technique to score a lot of runs and Frank Nsubuga can hit the ball tremendous distances as well as bowl some more than useful off spin. The talented teenagers are also expected to have an impact. Isaneez captured an amazing 6 for 37 against Bangladesh in the 2004 under 19 world cup and has scored centuries in the strong Ugandan domestic competition. Saleh is a promising batsman and Ochan took 9 wickets at 8.88 a piece in the 2004 African WCQS Championships. The key to Uganda's chances could depend on how much of a contribution they get from their lower profile squad members. If Benjamin Musoke, Lawrence Sematimba, Nehal Bibodi, Charles Waiswa, Keith Legesi and Nandkishore Patel can chip in strongly to assist the key men, then Uganda will be well on the way to qualification.
Qualification Chances: Excellent
UAE
UAE are another of the powerful contenders for the trophy. Certainly on paper at least, they have a very good squad but is there a question mark over their ability to perform in big matches? UAE have had the chance in recent times to test themselves against England A and in the Asia Cup and have not performed to their potential. The bowling is good, particularly in the spin department with Khuram Khan, Mohammad Tauqir and Rizwan Latif all very useful. Ali Asad is a dangerous medium pacer and has taken 29 first class wickets at 14.79 with best figures of 9 for 74. The batting is extremely strong. Asim Saeed and Arshad Ali are potentially the best opening combination in the tournament. Syed Maqsood is a reliable run scorer and Khuram Khan is equally as dangerous with the bat as he is with the ball.
Look out also for all rounder Ahmed Nadeem, batsman Fahad Usman and former Pakistan first class player Javed Ismail.
Qualification Chances: Excellent
USA
To refer to this squad as veteran is probably an understatement. After performing poorly at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, it was perceived that the team might be radically overhauled - but this was not the case. The age of the squad has been much debated in US cricket circles and its not hard to see why. The squad includes: Nasir Javed (39), Clayton Lambert(43), Mark Johnson (41), Howard Johnson (40) and Tony Reid (43). Even if they were to qualify for the 2007 World Cup, it is hard to imagine a team with this many ageing players making any impact at the next level. Having said that, the bowling stocks have been bolstered with the inclusions of Hamish Anthony, a medium fast bowler with 222 first class wickets to his name in county and West Indian domestic cricket and Imran Awan who is reputed to be lively on occasions. The batting is led by young star Steve Massiah, who scored an amazing 143 against Zimbabwe in a one day international in 2004 and the evergreen former West Indies international Clayton Lambert who is still capable of clubbing unwary opposition bowlers. Expect some solid contributions from wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Johnson. They have not been helped by considerable confusion in US cricket administration, making it near impossible to organize preparations for the tournament.
Qualification Chances: Unlikely
Group B
Canada
Canada are without their first choice Ôkeeper Ashish Bagai, and one of their best bowlers from the World Cup, Austin Codrington. In addition the Quebec opening bowler Patel is also missing through injury. Canada have an excellent competitive record in recent years, reaching the final of the Intercontinental Cup and winning the Americas qualifying tournament. The last time, however, it competed against these opponents in a full one-day tournament, they finished winless, losing to Scotland, Netherlands and Namibia in the six-nations tournament in March 2004. That side was playing with little match practice at the end of a Canadian winter and perhaps under-performed. For Canada to succeed, the batting must be solid. John Davison is a pivotal figure for Canada- his expansive methods opening the batting may be more hit and miss on Irish wickets than they were in South Africa, but his bowling and leadership may be more important in this tournament. Canada will need two or three players to make substantial contributions with the bat to give a strong bowling side a chance. There's no shortage of experience with former Test player Dassanayake, and stalwart Ian Billcliff in the middle order, but the batting has all too often proved fragile. Canada's performances in the field in the warm-up matches have been excellent and the spinners have a chance to thrive. The bowling is strong in spin, with Davison supported by Sandher and Dhaniram, but the pace bowling is inexperienced, apart from ICCT 2001 hero Sanjay Thuraisingam.
Qualfication chances: Good
Namibia
Namibia are one of the favourites to win the 2005 ICC Trophy. They are a well drilled and disciplined unit with plenty of experience and have performed solidly against full status nations in recent times. Namibian cricket was hit severely by their exclusion from competition on South African domestic competition. In previous seasons the national team had enjoyed top-level competition in the Standard Bank League and also the UCB Bowl. They recently impressed in drawing against a strong Kenyan team over three days in the InterContinental Cup. They have an experienced side, featuring eight players from the ICC trophy in 2001 and world Cup in 2003, and are perhaps a scorer's nightmare with four Burgers represented. They finished third in the Six-nations tournament last year, and will be tough opponents.
In JB Burger they have potentially the most effective batsman in the tournament. JB is a big strong opener who can hit the ball to all parts of the field with technically correct stroke making or brute force.
Danie Keulder is another strongly built batsman to take note of while Morne Karg and Riaan Walters are players capable of getting some big scores. Walters recently scored a scintillating 159 in a limited overs game against Zimbabwe A.
The bowling is also strong. Kola Burger, added to the side since the 2003 World Cup, is seen by many as the number 1 pace bowler outside the test nations. Gerrie Snyman can bowl at 140 kph and is also an exciting big hitting middle order bat, as demonstrated by his List A 112* with 10 fours and 4 sixes against Mashonaland last November. Snyman also put the English to the sword in a recent one day international in Windhoek where he scored 75 off 88 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes against an attack that included front line bowlers Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, James Anderson and Paul Collingwood. Expect contributions also from spin bowler and middle order bastman Deon Kotze, all rounder Louis Burger and medium pacer Sarel Burger. They scored an impressive win over Ireland in warm-up matches, chasing down an imposing target of 273.
Qualifications Chances: Excellent
Oman
Like all countries in the Gulf region, cricket is quickly becoming a popular sport in Oman. While some have questioned the number of expats that represent these Gulf states at cricket, it must be noted that in many cases the expats make up the majority population percentage, far outnumbering the indigenous community, not just in cricket but in overall terms. So it is not surprising that expats do get selected on national cricket teams. The Omani club cricket scene is thriving with new teams being formed on a regular basis. Oman finished second in the 2004 ACC Trophy behind UAE and in front of well thought of associates such as Malaysia, Nepal, Hong Kong and Singapore. They also qualified for the final of the 2004 Middle East Cup where they tied the match against Bahrain. While they are perhaps the least known of all the ICC Trophy teams, they do have some outstanding players who have performed against quality opposition. 20 year old all-rounder Adnan Illyas is being tipped as a star in the making while Hemin Desai is already seen as a top class bowler and batsman having won four man of the match awards (and player of the series) in the Middle East Cup tournament. Other players to watch include wicketkeeper-batsman Sultan Ahmed, medium pacer Hemal Mehta, captain Syed Azhar Ali and another all-rounder in Rakesh Sharma. The Omanis should not be taken lightly Ð as shown by their comprehensive win over Denmark in warm-up matches.
Qualification Chances: possible
Papua New Guinea
Cricket is booming in Papua New Guinea and this side is considered to be the best ever to leave its shores. Through the help of the ICC East-Asia-Pacific development program and Cricket Queensland, PNG have been able to really put together a strong pre-trophy program that has involved many warm up matches on Australian soil. Many of the PNG players have also represented the East-Asia-Pacific combined side that plays in the Australian national country championships which is a tournament very close to first class standard. PNG qualified for the ICC Trophy by clean sweeping the opposition in the ICC WCQS2 in Malaysia.
They have a nice blend of youth and experience led by all rounder Jamie Brazier who is a powerful batsman and useful slow bowler. Other batsmen who could figure prominently include opener Arua Uda, who made scores of 55 v Nepal, 78* v Kuwait and 57 v Fiji in the WCQS2 tournament, the experienced John Ovia who has a top score of 94 at ICC Trophy level, Peter Moide, who is the current leading run scorer in PNG domestic cricket and exciting youngsters Assa Vala, Chris Amini and Mahuru Dai. Vala, who will turn 18 during the ICC Trophy, represented PNG in the last under-19 World Cup and scored a brilliant 84 not out off 89 balls against eventual finalists the West Indies. The bowling is steady and at times lively with captain Rarva Dikana, left armer Toka Gaudi, Hitolo Areni and Inoa Baeau expected to do the bulk of the work.
Qualification Chances: unlikely, given the strength of Group B
Netherlands
The Dutch won the 2001 ICC Trophy, and a strong Dutch side game within 23 runs of beating Warwickshire in May. A comprehensive victory over Scotland in the ECC European Championship last year will have boosted confidence, and they drew with the same opponents in the Intercontinental Cup. They are coached by the redoubtable Bobby Simpson.
The Dutch have done very well to keep pace with main rivals and fast emerging associate powerhouses Ireland and Scotland in recent years. Cricket continues to grow steadily in the Netherlands and once again they will be a formidable opponent in the 2005 ICC Trophy. Their only notable loss from their 2003 World Cup campaign is Roland Lefebvre. Nevertheless, this team is seen as being stronger than their 2001 ICC Trophy squad. Of the newcomers, Billy Stelling is one who may stand out. He has a very good record in South Africa, Holland and elsewhere and is a damaging player with bat and ball. Ryan Ten Doeschete has experience with Essex and recently guided the county to an emphatic 20/20 win scoring an unbeaten 51 from 41 balls. Daan Van Bunge is a batsman with a good technique and a good temperament and recently scored a 38 ball hundred for the MCC Young Cricketers against a Surrey Under 19 side. He also scored a superb 62 against an immensely talented full strength Indian side in the 2003 World Cup.
Other players who could make an impact include Tim De Leede, a useful slow medium bowler and very good batsman, Darron Reekers, a powerful batsman and steady medium pacer, Bas Zuiderent, a batsman with immense county experience and a first class hundred to his name, Edgar Schiferli, a fast medium bowler and punishing pinch hitting bat and Jeroen Smits who impressed with some neat wicketkeeping during the 2003 World Cup. Holland also have a very good spinner in Adeel Raja who is capable of restricting the scoring under pressure.
Qualification Chances: good
Scotland
After the disappointment of not making the 2003 World Cup, Scotland are fired up and eager to make amends this time around. They have by far the most experienced team in terms of high-level match experience and at the time of writing had a combined tally of 874 List-A games worth of experience between them. They crushed Canada in the finals of the Inter Continental Cup last year, exposing a gulf in class that will be hard to bridge. Both Dougie Brown and Gavin Hamilton have played one-day internationals for England, and John Blain and Kyle Coetzer play first-class county cricket. They have lost stalwart left-arm pacer Asim Butt through of all things a drug-related suspension. The team plays in the English National League, and since the last ICC Trophy have won eight times over county opponents.
They have most areas seemingly covered. Five players (Fraser Watts, Gavin Hamilton, Cedric English, Kyle Coetzer and Dougie Brown) have scored first class centuries. Hamilton has scored 2779 first class runs at 26.46 and 1786 List A runs at 25.15. He has also taken 248 first class wickets at 25.67 and 128 list A wickets at 25.11. Brown has a highest first class score of 203 and has accumulated 7774 first class runs at 31.60 while scoring 4353 List A runs at 23.40. He has taken an incredible 501 first class wickets and 327 List A wickets. Also look for good contributions with the bat from Ryan Watson who is also a steady medium pacer and Colin Smith, the wicketkeeper, who was one of the stars of the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada. Apart from the bowlers already mentioned, Scotland also have some useful medium-quicks such as John Blain, Craig Wright, Paul Hoffmann and Dewald Nel. It is a pretty well balanced combination and the conditions should suit them. However, the pressure is certainly on the Scots to perform. They were in this position in 2001 and could not deliver the knockout blow when required. Will the pressure once again be too much?