Kenya’s preparations for the 2020 Africa Twenty 20 Cup finals failed to take off yesterday after players snubbed a meeting organised to come up with selection criteria for the event.
With less than three weeks before the tournament bowls off in Nairobi, the national players are yet to hit camp ahead of the eight-team event.
Since Kenya played in last year’s World Cricket Challenge in Oman, finishing second last, CK has shelved the team’s training with an aim of restructuring the squad. CK are keen to set up an Emerging squad that will act as a feeder programme to the national team and review the players’ contracts. The recommendations and especially the review of players’ contracts have not gone down well with a number of players.
“After our performance in Oman, we decided to start from the bottom by constituting emerging teams that will feed the national team and offer competition to senior players,” said CK development manager Tom Tikolo.
The players were summoned for a meeting on Monday to strategise on their preps but only six players turned up with the rest boycotting. Those, who failed to show up accused CK of being insincere with their plans and preps for the tournament.
A source, who was among those who snubbed the meeting, said CK were planning to start the franchise event so that they can use that to lock some of the players out.
“The idea is good but the timing raises eyebrows. Why come up with such an exercise a week before the tournament. We have been idle for close to three months and here we are being asked to attend a two-day selection session,” said the source who sought anonymity.
Kalpesh Solanki, who had been tasked to set up the franchise event, regretted the move by the players, saying it is ill-timed. He said the ball was in the selectors’ court and they should try and look for the best way to come up with a team that will represent the country in the event set for March 22-27.
