Newsletter
October 8, 2009 Issue #100
Hello and welcome to this edition of the I.E.C.C. Newsletter.
Index
- The One Hundredth Issue
- Kanto cricket news
- The fine print
- Asia & EAP news –
- Indian Engineers’ Japan Cricket Rating – New results
- IECC poll results
- Reader’s corner
- Best of the web
- Snippet of the month
- Trivial facts from our Archives
The One Hundredth Issue
Yes, that is true! This is the one hundredth issue of this Newsletter. Drum rolls!
We are proud to say that this is the first ever cricket Newsletter in Japan, initially bringing the erstwhile Kanto Cup and other Tokyo based friendly tournaments news together at one place. Our intention was to connect the dots and focus on Japan cricket. Before we started this Newsletter, there was no “real” English language news source that covered all cricket news. Of course, there was and is still Robert-Gills Martineau popular website, which covers cricket to gourmet, and Trevor Bailey’s cricket magazine which stopped mid-way through. But then a newsletter is a newsletter and it brings news to your desktop. Later on, JCA followed the suit and started a Japanese Newsletter and much later an English version of the same, which seemed to have stopped after a while.
We have no memory of the events that led to the publication of the first issue but are now confident that our readers enjoy reading it. The first issue started with less than 50 readers, mostly the Indian Engineers club members and a few other cricket fans. Currently, the number of subscribers remains a little over 300 for the past few years. We assume that that is probably the number of English speaking cricket enthusiasts in Japan. Of the 300, a small number are from outside Japan and as far away as from Israel and Germany. This Newsletter even found itself as a reference point in Wikipedia about Kirikkit, a Samoan sport. The news item we published was the result of lead by one of our ardent readers, Jack Kean.
Unfortunately, we do not have copies of first three issues with us (shame on you editor!) but the Newsletter page on our website lists all issues since the fourth – http://www.ieccjapan.com/newsletter.htm. We believe we have come a long way since our first issue, in terms of look, content and reporting style. On the way we introduced some interesting sections, which were well received, such as:
– Quote of the month
– Trivial facts
– Small Print
– User feedback
– Japan Cricket rating
How does it work? How long does it take to put together and publish an issue? What are our sources? Well, there are no definitive answers to these questions. The news is gathered over the month and put together a day before it is published. It takes about 4-6 hours to put together what we receive over a month in the format you receive and also to the html version of it on our website.
We have got more flowers than stones on the way to this issue and it is precisely because of the support showed in private and public by many of our readers that we are here today. Thank you very much and your continued support is appreciated.
Kanto cricket news
Pakistan win YC&AC Sixes
With inputs from Syed Kamran:
In what could be a first in Japan, the annual YC&AC Sixes tournament was held under lights and used white balls. The tournament, participated by teams based on nationality, saw 8 teams competing for one of the most fun filled cricket events in Japan. Starting the first match at 1pm on Sunday, October 4, the final match was held at 9pm between Pakistan and YC&AC under the floodlit ground.
Pakistan(79) won the Cup final beating YC&AC(71) while Kamata beat International XI in the Plate final. Amjad Mirza was the best batsman of the tournament, Dinesh Singh with his 7 wickets was declared best bowler and Mohammad Pawas of International XI was named best allrounder. The teams participated are ANZAC, Toyama, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, International XI, YC&AC A and YC&AC B.
KCL Final 4
After a long hiatus, the semi-final matches of KCL will be held on October 11th and 18th. In the first match Serendib, with an underdog tag, will take on Lalazar while Shizuoka Kytes will face none other than the Tokyo Giants. The final is expected to be held on November 8.
Indian Engineers on Twitter
Well, the Engineers can’t be away from latest technology for too long. Follow the Engineers at http://twitter.com/ieccjapan/ for live match updates and other cricket updates.
The Fine Print
Six of the Under-19 Ugandan side, which participated in the World Cup Qualifier in Toronto went missing in Canada. The manager said the last he had seen them was on Friday night, around 11.30pm. When he woke up the following morning, the players were gone. In a similar incident two years ago two members of the Uganda side which had been competing in the World Cricket League in Australia absconded and subsequently claimed asylum. If they really absconded, they will have dealt a major blow to the dream of many young cricketers from developing countries to play abroad. Their actions can only increase the difficulties facing players from Associate and Affiliate countries in obtaining the necessary visas to enable them to participate in ICC events.
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While most cricketers turn to commentary, coaching or the game’s administration following their retirement, Vinod Kambli, the former Indian batsman, is going to contest the state elections from Mumbai, following in the footsteps of Mohammad Azharuddin, Navjot Sidhu and Kirti Azad. He had earlier tried his hand at acting and featured in some television series.
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Ahead of Pakistan team’s tour of England next summer, captain Younis Khan will be in South Africa for the 2010 football World Cup as Pakistan’s ambassador. Faisal Saleh Hayat, president of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), said Younis’ interest in football would help raise the game’s profile in a cricket-obsessed country. Younis had invited Pakistan’s football coach, George Kottan, to a cricket camp ahead of the Champions Trophy and said Kottan was impressed with the quality of football at the camp.
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When his college, St. Xavier’s College, released the results of its B.Com examination, Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s name had a “failed” against it, which was subsequently blamed on clerical error. The actual result result should have been ‘absent’ because the cricketer had missed both his semesters.
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After rejecting an invitation by the Pakistan Cricket Board to supervise a fast bowlers coaching camp in Lahore because of his media coomitments for Champions League tournament starting in India from October 8, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was told by the Champions League organisers that his services were no longer required in the tournament. The reason was later explained unofficially that the Indian cricket Board had told the organisers to avoid inviting Wasim to India because of policy instructions from the Government.
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Barely hours after his statement that the Pakistan cricket team threw away their Champions Trophy match against Australia, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports MNA Jamshed Dasti did a complete volte-face and said he never accused the side of involving in match-fixing. Dasti, whose statement created a stir last night, claimed he never said Pakistan was involved in match fixing and his wordings misunderstood by everyone. “I never said the Pakistani players indulged in any match-fixing against Australia or New Zealand. What I was trying to say has been completely misunderstood by everyone,” Dasti said on the Geo Super channel.
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From an injury-ravaged struggler to being the hero of Australia’s second consecutive Champions Trophy triumph, all-rounder Shane Watson has credited the turnaround to his Indian Premier League stint under talismanic spin wizard Shane Warne.”The IPL stint got my confidence up as a player. It allowed me to come back to the Australian team. It was a massive turning point to play on such a big stage,” Watson said after striking his second hundred of the tournament to guide Australia to the title with a six-wicket win over New Zealand. “The captaincy and coaching ability of Warne was a great learning experience. I learnt how to control my emotions,” he added.
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International Cricket Council (ICC) President David Morgan has given the recently-concluded Champions Trophy event, won by Australia for the second time, a huge thumbs-up, calling it a ‘huge success’. “I’m delighted with the quality of the tournament and the level of cricket that has been played throughout this competition. It has been a huge success,” he said.
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Mr IS Bindra, International Cricket Council (ICC) Prinicipal Advisor, has encouraged full member countries to play more cricket in the United States of America and China. Bindra was reporting to the ICC Board during day one of its two-day meeting in Johannesburg on the work currently ongoing to promote cricket in those two countries. China are due to host the Asian Games next year where cricket will feature for the first time and the USA have been fast-tracked into the qualifying tournament for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010. They played in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy but were subsequently relegated to World Cricket League Division Five due to constitutional problems and are slowly working their way back up the ladder, beating Bermuda and Canada to the World Cricket League Americas Division One last year.
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Source: Various web and print media
Asia & EAP News
Japan draws blank in ICC EAP Trophy
Japan drew blank again in the ICC EAP Trophy held recently in Samoa. Japan was able to cross the 100 mark only once – an impressive 213 – but couldn’t defend that total against a strong Fiji.
In the first match, Japan was all out for 86 chasing Fiji’s 238. Against PNG Japan struggled to get 41 in 35 overs (must be a world record?) which PNG knocked up in 6 overs for the loss of 1 wicket. Japan’s best performance came against Fiji when they notched up 213 but still beat Japan. In their last outing against PNG Japan scored 60 in 33 overs but PNG had no trouble in scoring 61/0.
PNG was the winner of the 2009 Pepsi ICC EAP Men’s Cricket Trophy.
Japan, however, did not return home empty-handed. In the pre-tournament T-20 matches, Japan beat Tonga and Cook Islands.
Match 1: Japan 21(15 overs). PNG 22/0
Match 2: Tonga 93/8, Japan 94/7
Match 3: Japan 140, Cook Islands 92
Match 4: Japan 43 (15.1 overs) Samoa 46/3 (10.1 overs)
Indian Engineers’ Japan Cricket Rating – New results
Results as of September 30:
Here is the list of the top 10 teams(last month’s ranking in brackets):
1 Tokyo Giants (1)
2 Tokyo Wombats (3)
3 Nagoya (2)
4 Wyverns (5)
5 Serendib (4)
6 Lalazar (7)
7 YC&AC (6)
8 MAX (11)
9 Adore (8)
9 Al karam (10)
9 Kansai Lions (8)
10 Indian Engineers (9)
See the full list here.
We encourage all teams to send us your result statistics regularly so that your team’s rankings remain as accurate as possible. We are in a position to obtain the results of the official tournament matches on our own but we are looking for the results of the friendly matches.
Readers’ Corner
Editor** We encourage our readers to write back to us with your articles, opinion, feedback and criticism. Feel free to write about anything related to cricket, in Japan or outside.
IECC Poll results
Here is the last poll result:
Should the ICC Champions Trophy be scrapped?
Yes 80%
No 20%
May be 0%
Take the new poll:
Do you think the ODI format will survive?
Best of the Web
Stuart Broad telly why he was called ‘Baywatch’ during the Ashes by Michael Hussy
Australian players talk about some dressing room habits
Snippets of the Month
Note: Beginning the Issue #39 (May 6, ’04), we bring you some interesting snippets from the cricket world, to celebrate the fourth anniversary this Newsletter and first anniversary of our popular “Trivial Facts” series. The same will be published on the front page of our website too.
“I’ll chew his ear off” – Australian opener Phillip Hughes before his appointment with Sachin Tendulkar seeking advice to resurrect his career.
Trivial facts (from our Archives)
1. Wicket keeper Budhi Kunderan opened both batting and bowling for India in the 1967 Birmingham Test (Farokh Engineer was the ‘keeper in that Test)
That’s all in this edition!