Dates for the second Ol Pejeta "Cricket in the Wild" tournament in Kenya have been confirmed - the competition will begin on Friday September 28.

The three-day event is designed to raise funds to support the Ol Pejeta Conservancy - a 90,000 acre wildlife park at the foothills of Mount Kenya - which, it is hoped, will help with the development of schools and other local facilities.

Each of the eight teams, split into two leagues, is required to raise a minimum of KSh200,000 (USD 2900) - usually by sponsorship - to secure their place in the tournament. The cricket itself will be 10:10 (10 overs per side) with eight-ball overs.

The winner receives a trophy, and there will be a special prize for the most humorous sledge, at the umpire's discretion.

The 2007 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was published this week, and in it Tony Munro takes a look at life beyond the Test world.

Four new countries – Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Tonga and Swaziland – are included in this year’s Cricket Round the World section. This takes the total of countries, regions and territories featured since the feature began in Wisden 1993 to 107.

Organisers of the 4th annual Phuket International Cricket Sixes tournament, which takes place at Karon Stadium, Phuket from April 19 to 22, have confirmed that the financial services group Montpelier have signed as title sponsors of the event.

Over 20 teams from around the world will take part - entry for spectators is free and food and refreshments are available at the ground.

A Twenty20 Charity Fundraising match, featuring all the best players taking part, will be held on the evening of Saturday April 21 from 6.30pm. All the proceeds from the match will be donated to a local children's charity, Childwatch.

Tanzania’s national cricket team are off to India for a 20-day training spell to prepare for the ICC’s World Cricket League Division Three which will take place in Australia in May.

Nepal have been recognised for their commitment to women’s cricket with an award for Best Women’s Cricket Initiative in the ICC Development Awards. Nepal will receive US$ 2,000 worth of Kookaburra equipment.

The nomination came after Nepal won the ACC Development Award for the same programme in February. Rebecca Alwaya won the Volunteer of the Year Award for her outstanding contribution to the game in Uganda.

Nepal are set to take part in the inaugural Asian Cricket Council women's cricket tournament, which is being held in Malaysia in July.

Martin Williamson, Cricinfo's managing editor, looks at the performances of the Associates in the World Cup so far.

So the first stage of the World Cup is over, although the wholesale elimination of the so-called minnows, which the format was designed to ensure, has not happened. If you include Bangladesh with the Associates in the minnow category, they have bloodied two of the most important noses in the world game.

The appearance of Bangladesh in the second round is a real a success for the expansion of the game and a most welcome reward for their cricket-mad public. That it came at the expense of neighbours India was a bonus for them, even if it devastated the hoards of commercial men that increasingly dictate the running of the game. The other surprise package, Ireland, secured their own place by beating a shambolic Pakistan side; in fairness, their tie with Zimbabwe, while a great result for them and the tournament, was not a seismic shock, so far have the Zimbabweans fallen in recent years.

Read the article in full, then leave your comments below.

While Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, was single handedly holding up England's march to victory, with a resolute 76, he was unaware that his father had died. Tom, Steve's brother and the current chief executive of Cricket Kenya, withheld the news from his younger sibling "because if it had got out, Steve would have been unable to concentrate" on his batting and captaincy.

Mzee Rueben Tikolo died at his home, in Eshirotsa Eshirumbe, aged 72.

The USA’s ABC News reports how China has used the World Cup to score diplomatic points over rivals Taiwan. The Chinese involvement in building various stadia in the Caribbean has been well documented, but it appears the knock-on effect has been more wide reaching:

China gave Antigua a $55 million grant to build the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. It gave $30 million to Jamaica for a new Trelawny stadium. St. Lucia has both a cricket and a football stadium courtesy of Beijing. The 70,000 people of Dominica have received the aid equivalent of $1,600 per person in the form of a cricket grounds, new drains for the capital and better roads.

The immediate reason for this largesse is Beijing's determination to diplomatically isolate Taiwan. Says Harry Sung of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C.: "Their top priority is to isolate Taiwan. Most of the remaining countries that recognize Taiwan are located in the Caribbean and Latin America."

China's cricket diplomacy led to two West Indian countries, Grenada and Dominica, derecognizing Taiwan as an independent country. Of the remaining 24 countries that recognize Taiwan, four are in the Caribbean and two of these play cricket.

Steve Tikolo, Kenya's captain, has pleaded for more international exposure for his side, as well as the other leading Associates.

Kenya exited the World Cup after losing to England on Saturday, but Tikolo said that unless the major countries agreed to play the Associates, then the standards would never improve.

"You need more high-level games," Tikolo said. "You can't come here without playing at this level consistently. If you look at our calendar now, what we are expecting is a Twenty20 World Cup in September. Between then and now there's nothing for us.

"If you want the Associates to come up, you have to give them more games, it's as simple as that."

Kenya, like the other Associates, have struggled to persuade the major nations to play them. In the last year, Kenya have played 18 ODIs, of which all have been against the Associates or Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Bangladesh, who themselves struggle to get fixtures against major countries, have been co-operative, while Zimbabwe are believed to have come under intense pressure from the ICC to actually take to the field.

Kenyan cricket was boosted by Tikolo's assurance that he was not ready to retire. "I want to play for Kenya for the next few years to see this team develop into a fine unit," he explained.

	Going easy on the minnows? © Getty Images

TV viewers might have noticed that commentators have been very chartable to the so-called minnows during this World Cup so far. For example, when Zimbabwe were in the Caribbean in May, the experts made no attempt to hide their feelings that they were not fit to play international cricket. But even when they tied with Ireland on Saturday, there was hardly a critical word. And even when Bermuda and Netherlands, for example, have been slaughtered, the men in the box have been remarkably jolly about them.

Robert Craddock, writing in The Australian, thinks he knows why.

It is understood commentators have been told by Global Cricket Corp producers that it frowns on them denigrating the minnows. However, it is deemed acceptable for commentators to call an event a mismatch but not to say some of the nations do not deserve to be in the tournament.

Some commentators who agree with the directive and feel the minnows are a necessary part of global expansion are happy to abide by it. Others, who feel the tournament has been devalued by their presence, would rather speak their mind.

And Craddock concluded by saying that some of the players themselves are aware of the real picture.

The widespread feeling that the minnows are enjoying every moment of their matches against the big boys is wide of the mark. Several Dutch players privately conceded they feel embarrassed by their team's efforts.

Keep your eyes and ears open and see if what you are watching tallies with what you are being told.

	© The Nation

Maurice Odumbe, the former golden boy of Kenyan cricket who was subsequently banned for five years for associating with known bookmakers, is now forging a new career on local television and radio. He has recently featured in a few advertisements and is also commentating on sports for a local radio station.

In a feature in The Nation, Odumbe reveals that he is happy with his new role.

“I always wanted to do something before the cameras. When the opportunity presented itself I could not just let it pass.”

He also said that he is considering standing in the next general election. “Sports and showbiz are multi-billion industries which have not been properly harnessed for the benefit of artistes and sports personalities due to poor legislation.”

Nepal has won the Asian Cricket Council's Premier League after UAE failed to gather enough points from its last two games against Singapore and Malaysia to defend the title. NepalCricket.com has the full story.

Afghanistan and Norway might be in the lower echelons of the World Cricket League (WCL), but that isn't stopping either country aiming big. They want to play in the 2011 World Cup.

Is this a pipe dream or a genuine belief that, in four years' time, they will be able to compete with Full Member nations? Before they can even think about the World Cup, promotion from Division Five is a must. Read the full story at Cricinfo.

What are your thoughts? Does cricket need any more fledgling nations? Should the ICC increase funding to these minor nations? Leave your feedback in the comments below.

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Following his side's 21-run defeat to the West Indies yesterday, Steve Tikolo, the Kenya captain, has criticised the lack of exposure and matches Associate cricket is afforded.

"The ICC is looking to spread the game globally," he said, "[but] I don't see how they are going to do it unless they get us involved in cricket activities. To be playing at this level, you have to be playing against these guys regularly. Playing them in World Cup warm-up matches and big tournaments alone is not good enough.

"We need quality opposition to improve and we are not getting that."

Tikolo led Kenya to winning the World Cricket League (WCL) in Nairobi last month, a tournament which pitted the top six Associates against each other. While the standard of cricket was generally good, the overwhelming response from the players was that they can only improve if they play full-member nations more regularly. Nevertheless, and despite the 21-run defeat yesterday, Tikolo was pleased with Kenya's performance.

"It was a fruitful exercise, since the main aim was to try and get some good combinations going in the team, and I think we did this," he said. "Obviously, we have another friendly game on Thursday, and we will try and give the guys who did not have a go a chance then to try and finalise our first 11.

"We bowled well at the start of their innings, but we let them get too many runs in the latter stages. I thought also that we batted well, but lost some batsmen in the middle, otherwise it would have been a different result."

Kenya face the Netherlands in their second warm-up match on Thursday at the Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica.

Chloe Saltau speaks to Tom Tikolo, the Kenya captain, in today's Age in Australia.

As always, though, much will depend on Tikolo as the general at the top of the order, and with his artful off-breaks, if the team is to replicate the dreamy success of 2003, when Kenya lost to Australia in a Super Six game best remembered for Brett Lee's hat-trick. He is desperate to prove Kenya's performance in that tournament was not an aberration.

"Save for what happened after that, cricket going down in Kenya, that was the most memorable time of my career. To compete the way we did, make it to the finals, to be the team captain, these will be my memories for a long, long time to come," said Tikolo.

"We are capable of that. What we are planning is to go to the World Cup and be competitive. We don't just want to make up numbers."

Scotland have lost their warm-up game against a Barbados Select XI in a warm-up to the World Cup warm-ups next week. John Blain, Navdeep Poonia and Glenn Rogers all played for the opposition to give the squad a good run out.

Mike Stanger, a spokesman for the Scottish side, told PA Sport: "It was a warm-up for the warm-ups and it was good for the players to get a game in.

"There were some very good things and some not so good things to come out of the game but it was a training match.

"Obviously we are hoping to be on our mettle for the first of the official warm-ups against Sri Lanka and we expect to be.

"There were no injuries and 14 players played, as well as a 12th man."

Barbados batted first after a rain delay and all-rounder Majid Haq excelled with the ball, taking five for 37, while Wright chipped in with two for 41.

There was one wicket apiece for Dewald Nel and Dougie Brown but, with Paul Hoffmann and Ross Lyons each going wicketless and shipping over 50 runs, the final total of 296 looked a challenge.

SportingLife has the full story.

It comes as no surprise that the USACA were today suspended by the ICC for failing to meet the agreed deadlines. Read the full story, and this comment piece, and leave your comments and thoughts below.

The Irish Cricket Union chairman, Murray Power, kindly spoke to Cricinfo recently on the fortunes of his country and the problems Associates face. Have a read of it and leave your comments below.

Fans in Kutch – a district of Gujarat in western India – will be glued to their TVs for the forthcoming World Cup, and not just to watch India. Two Kutchi-born players - Rajesh Bhudia and Malhar Patel - are playing for Kenya.

“Our Patel community which has a large population from here in Kenya is also known by the name of Kanabi and we have there Kanabi’s Sports Club which is very dominating in the cricketing world in that country. We now understand from there that Rajesh Bhudia and Malhar Patel, both belonging to the Patel community, have found place on the Kenyan team for the World Cup 2007,’’ said Kirti Varsani, of Madhapar village near here.

More on this at ExpressIndia.com