Much at stake for Associates in 2018

Barring a couple of surprise losses to Nepal and Kenya, Netherlands were consistent through the course of the WCLC, winning 10 matches. © Getty

In sport, playing with risk can be fun. When the gamble comes off, there is ecstasy and athletes would be showered with praises. On the other side, failures would bring criticism. It is a thin line but risk generally bring rewards. To climb through the staircase of success, it demands discipline and self belief but also asks the athlete to be adventurous.

Cricketers from the associate world always have a tough road ahead. Some of them have to double up their day-to-day jobs with cricket. To make matters worse, the governing body has reduced the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup. But associate cricketers have taken the hard knocks and just like a skilful sailor knows how to wade through rough seas and endure the crashing waves of dreams being shattered, they have looked for that small window which allows them to steer through the rough seas and find the shore.

In the associate world, it was Afghanistan and Ireland who grabbed that small window of opportunity, with both being granted full membership. The big day for both teams arrived on June 22, 2017 when they were granted Test status by the ICC Board in London during the AGM. Afghanistan are set to play their inaugural Test versus India, while Ireland will take on Pakistan.

Netherlands

With Ireland and Afghanistan being given full membership, other teams too will dream. Netherlands is one such side that seem to have that self belief. By topping the World Cricket League Championship which ensured their qualification for the 14-team ICC ODI league (starts in 2020) and the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe next year, Netherlands proved that they weren't just happy to reach at the doorstep of world cricket's heaven but ready to unlock the key to success.

Barring a couple of surprise losses to Nepal and Kenya, Netherlands were consistent through the course of the WCLC, winning 10 matches. It has to be noted that Netherlands had lost their ODI status after the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. But it is also about charting your own destiny, where you believe all the hard work on days that you sweat it out in your own grand theatre in anonymity, will one day bring laurels.

Netherlands also performed creditably in the Intercontinental Cup (four-day championship from 2015-17) and were placed third on the points table with 72 points. Only Afghanistan and Ireland were placed ahead of them. However, they struggled to make an impact in the Desert T20 Challenge, finishing third in Group B with just a solitary win over Oman. The year also saw Zimbabwe touring Netherlands in June for a three-match one-day series, with the visitors winning 2-1. The European country would be pleased with their consolation victory in the final game, where they won by a comfortable margin of 149 runs. As a further boost for the European nation, Netherlands gained T20I status.

Among the batsmen, Ben Cooper top-scored in the WCLC with 370 runs. Peter Borren, the captain, compiled 322 runs while the former South Africa all-rounder, Roelof van der Merwe, ended up with 275. In the bowling department, van der Merwe snared 13 scalps, while Vivian Kingma, the medium pacer, bagged 11 wickets. Mudassar Bukhari, who retired from the game in 2017, also plucked 11 wickets.

In the Intercontinental Cup, van de Merwe again impressed by topping the batting charts with 490 runs and plucked 18 wickets. Kingma finished with 20 wickets in five games. The Netherlands side was further bolstered by the return of their stalwart all-rounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, after a gap of six years. The all-rounder averages a staggering 67 in ODIs alongside picking up 55 wickets. He also captained Essex to a County Championship win this season.

On a slightly negative note, Logan van Beek, the Christchurch-born all-rounder, decided to pursue his dream of playing for New Zealand by making a move from Canterbury to Wellington.

There is also a new crop of cricketers coming through the ranks. Shane Snater, who bowls medium pace and is a useful batsman down the order, Rahil Ahmed, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper, Max O'Dowd, who averaged over 40 in the Intercontinental Cup, and Bas de Leede would look to aim for higher accolades next year. Kingma, who is just 23, was one of standout performers in 2017, picking up wickets across various tournaments with his medium pace. He even bagged a hat-trick in the WCLC game versus Namibia.

Scotland

Scotland, too, had a good year, finishing second in the WCLC to progress to World Cup Qualifiers and reached the semifinals of Desert T20 Challenge. The Kyle Coetzer-led side also forced the cricketing landscape to sit up and take notice of them when they toppled their fancied opponents, Sri Lanka, in a Champions Trophy warm-up game in Beckenham. Coetzer and Matthew Cross, the former Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper-batsman, amassed hundreds to chase down a sizeable target of 288.

However, the match against Sri Lanka wasn't counted as an official ODI. Scotland, though, didn't have to wait for long for their maiden victory against a full-fledged nation as Coetzer again inspired the European side to a 45-run victory in the first of the two-match ODI versus Zimbabwe in Edinburgh. The series was eventually drawn 1-1. They also won both their matches in the two-match ODI series against PNG. There were a couple of setbacks, especially in the Intercontinental Cup where they finished a lowly seventh with 46 points.

Coetzer was the star performer for the European nation, composing 390 runs at 48.75 in the ODI format. The aggressive batsman also led the way in the WCLC, notching up 574 runs, while Calum MacLeod accrued 440 runs. Scotland were also lifted by the fact that Preston Mommsen, the former captain, made a comeback from retirement in 2017. The veteran batsman, who had decided to take up a career in property investment, showed his class and quality in the WCLC, accumulating 326 runs at an astounding average of 108.66.

Alasdair Evans, the Kent-born medium pacer, led the way in WCLC, snaring 24 wickets. Evans also was the joint-highest wicket-taker in ODIs (8 scalps) alongside Safyaan Sharif, Con de Lange and Mark Watt. Among the promising players, Stuart Whittingham, the Sussex pacer, had a fine start when he picked up a three-for in Scotland's famous win over Sri Lanka in the warm-up game earlier this year. He qualifies to play for Scotland as he has a Scottish mother.

Chris Sole, who has a contract with Hampshire, is another useful medium pacer. Incidentally, due to ICC's proposed changes to eligibility regulation, both weren't included for fixtures against Ireland and Kenya. But later the governing body decided to put the new regulations on hold which meant the duo partook in Scotland's games. Watt, the left-arm spinner, who made his ODI debut last year versus Hong Kong, has also made a bright start to his career, bagging 10 and 19 scalps in ODIs and T20Is respectively.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong repeatedly punched above their weight to make their presence felt in the cricketing world. Just like Netherlands and Scotland, they too progressed for the World Cup Qualifiers by ending up third in the WCLC with 18 points. In the Intercontinental Cup, Hong Kong put up a fine show and slotted in at fourth position with 59 points. However, they couldn't show their mettle in the Desert T20 Challenge, picking up just one win in Group B.

Among the individual players, Anshuman Rath led the way with 678 runs at 75.33 in the WCLC. The talented all-rounder also cracked his maiden ODI hundred (143) in a game against PNG in the WCLC. In the shortest format, he shone brightly in the Desert T20 Challenge with a three-for versus Netherlands. Babar Hayat, too, was in fine fettle in the WCLC, accruing 543 runs. Nadeem Ahmed (24), the Pakistan-born pacer, also played a pivotal role in Hong Kong's impressive show in WCLC.

Hong Kong also saw a few debutants during the course of the year, with Cameron MaAuslan, the medium pacer, and Scott Mckechnie, the wicketkeeper, earning their maiden ODI caps. Mckechnie has represented Durham Second XI, Kent Second XI and Essex Second XI. Mark Chapman, who compiled Hong Kong's first ODI hundred in November 2015, is presently playing for Auckland.

Papua New Guinea

PNG continued to make an impression in the Associate world. The Oceanian country made it to the World Cup Qualifiers by finishing a creditable fourth in the WCLC. PNG also competed well in the ODI series versus UAE before losing 2-1. On the other hand, they faced a few reverses in the Intercontinental Cup and finished a lowly seventh. Sese Bau (446) topped the batting charts in the WCLC. Meanwhile, Norman Vanua, the medium pacer, snared a rich haul of 23 scalps in the tournament.

Other teams

A few associate nations also lost a string of matches, and struggled to wade through their form slump. Kenya, UAE, Nepal and Namibia were demoted from WCLC and now will meet Oman and Canada (finalists from Division 3) in Namibia in February 2018 to battle it out for the remaining two spots of World Cup Qualifiers. In the Intercontinental Cup, too, Namibia struggled to pull their weight, finishing last.

Kenya, who once were known as the kings of the associate world, are slowly but steadily making their way up the ladder again. With more emphasis on youth development, there is a renewed hope. According to ICC's new census, the number of junior players in the country have increased from 1100 to 3495. There are also reports that the game is growing beyond the traditional base of Mombasa.

ICC also would be keeping an eye on Nepal as there is electrifying excitement for the sport in the country. Nepal created history when their Under-19 side overcame a depleted India Under-19 side in the Under-19 Asia Cup this year.They reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to Afghanistan. In the WCLC, they were placed seventh. Sharad Veswakar (415 runs) and Basant Regmi (17 scalps) gave a good account of themselves. In June, Nepal were also given T20I status by the governing body.

Unfortunately, Cricket Association of Nepal has come under the scrutiny in view of 'government interference' in the board and they were suspended in April 2016. The Himalayan country also needs to have a hard look at their domestic structure. They play just a 14-day domestic league comprising only nine regions, covering a small part of the places where cricket is thriving. USA is another country where the governing body is trying to popularise the game. However, in June 2017, the USACA was unanimously expelled in the ICC Board meeting after three suspensions. Since then the ICC has approved a new constitution to reinstate the board.

On a side note, the governing also overhauled with the revenue structure during the course of 2017, with the Associate Members (combined with Ireland and Afghanistan) receiving a funding of $240 million, 40 million less than what was initially assured.

Looking forward

Six associate nations (Netherlands, Hong Kong, Scotland and PNG and two via a second division tournament in Namibia) will battle it out in the forthcoming 10-team World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March, 2018. Remember only two from the Qualifiers will book a place in the 50-over World Cup. So there is lot at stake for the associate teams. Scotland will play England in a one-off ODI in Edinburgh in June. It would also be interesting to see how Netherlands' star cricketer, Doeschate, goes on his comeback.

International cricket is full of celebrities and stars, intense action and thrilling matches, but the passion for the game is found in the associate world. They are akin to the unknown workshops of the game, where on largely empty grounds, with the sun gleefully watching them play, cricketers day-in and day-out put up fine performances with a dream of taking a ticket to the international arena. All the early morning practice and the plodding hard work to tirelessly chase that one great day where their efforts will bear fruit.