Cricket needs a reset

Kenya sunk to a new low after the national cricket team was relegated following a last-place finish in the 2024–2026 Cricket World Cup Challenge League A, which ended in Nairobi on Saturday.

The team registered four wins and nine losses to finish at the bottom of the six-team league, thereby failing to advance to the 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off.

Jersey and Kuwait finished top in Challenge League A and will be joined by Challenge League B winners Uganda and Italy at the 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, the final qualifying tournament for the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

The four teams that qualify from the play-off will join 11 other automatic qualifiers for the 2027 Cricket World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Ironically, Uganda’s qualification for the 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off highlights how the country has, over the years, engaged former Kenyan players, including Martin Suji and, more recently, Steve Tikolo, to strengthen its team and overtake Kenya. Kenya last played at the World Cup in 2011.

It spells doom for Kenya, which came close to attaining Test status in 2003. The team will now have to start from the bottom, progressing through the play-off, Challenge League A and the Cricket World Cup Qualifier if it is to play at the 2031 Cricket World Cup.

The poor performance comes amid renewed infighting at the Cricket Kenya board, which led to the suspension of Chief Executive Officer Ronald Bukusi, Thomas Odoyo, Beryl Oyugi and Mansukh Hirani on October 23.

The Cricket Kenya board must realise that the game is bigger than its members. The power struggles within the board are among the factors contributing to the sport’s decline in the country.

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