CRICKET/ICC World League Division One:One hundred is a significant number in cricket. The chance to raise the bat in triumph having scored a century is one of the great feelings for any batsman and a player who wins 100 caps for his country is usually showered with accolades.
Tomorrow, the famous Gymkhana Cricket Ground in Nairobi will be the scene for the 100th match between Ireland and Scotland. And in this ICC World Cricket League Division One, it could be argued, there has never been so much at stake.
In August 1888, Ireland beat the Scots by an innings and 26 runs at Rathmines, thus beginning one of the most enduring rivalries in Hiberno-Caledonian sport. In all, the Irish have won 25, the Scots 36, with 38 draws, so history is on the side of Craig Wright and his team. But the last time they met, during the 2006 ECC European Championships at Ayr, Ireland triumphed. Ireland captain Trent Johnston is taking the confidence created by that win into this game.
"We beat them quite comfortably that day so we believe we can do it again," said Johnston in Nairobi yesterday. "We know a lot about the Scotland team, we have played them so many times in the past and we are confident that we have what it takes to beat them."
The ICC World Cricket League Division One brings together the top six associate teams, all of whom have qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. This tournament is being used as part of the teams' preparations for the big one, which opens in Jamaica on March 11th.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year's WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September. That event yields a $250,000 (€193,600) participation fee, a significant windfall for an associate team.
The Ireland team have just arrived from a training camp in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and although they will have to adjust rapidly to the altitude of Nairobi, coach Adrian Birrell is happy with how they are shaping up.
"It is a bit of a risk only coming to Nairobi a day or two before our first match because PE is at sea level but the world-class facilities we enjoyed there and the way the players are performing pleases me greatly. I suppose time will tell," said Birrell.
There were concerns over the reoccurrence of a finger injury to Johnston but he has passed himself fit to play and Birrell has the full 15 names to pick from.
Meanwhile, the Scots have been suffering from a stomach bug that has plagued them since their participation in a recent ODI tri-series with Kenya and Canada in Mombasa. A number of their players were struck down although all are said to be on the mend. Whether they will have regained full strength in time for tomorrow's match remains to be seen. Captain Wright is not unduly concerned. "We always enjoy playing against Ireland," he said. "We often play our best cricket against Ireland - they are a team that have improved a great deal in the last three or four years, without a doubt."
In the opening match of the WCL yesterday, hosts Kenya easily saw off the challenge of Bermuda by 10 wickets at the Jaffery Sports Club. David Obuya made an unbeaten 74 and Maurice Ouma 57 not out as Kenya strolled passed Bermuda's meagre total of 133 all out.
The Netherlands and Canada play today at Ruaraka Sports Club.
IRELAND(from): Trent Johnston (capt), Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Kenny Carroll, Eoin Morgan, Peter Gillespie, Andre Botha, Niall O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, Kyle McCallan, Andy White, David Langford-Smith, Paul Mooney, John Mooney, Boyd Rankin.
SCOTLAND(from): Craig Wright (capt), Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Colin Smith, Dougie Lockhart, Glenn Rogers, Paul Hoffman, John Blain, Gavin Hamilton, Dewald Nel, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Navdeep Poonia, Dougie Brown.
ICC World Cricket League Division One
At Jaffery: Bermuda 133 all out, 39.3 overs(D Minors 52; P Ongondo 3-23, H Varaiya 2-13) Kenya 137 for 0, 18.1 overs(D Obuya 75 not out, M Ouma 57 not out), Kenya won by 10 wickets.
