Nets at Ruauaka- article from tigercricket.com

[sadi]

<TABLE class=tablestyle id=Table1 style="WIDTH: 482px; HEIGHT: 196px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=482 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Nets at Ruaraka
Rabeed Imam from Nairobi
09-August-2006
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The Ruaraka Sports Club has an ideal setting for friendly weekend cricket with trees surrounding it and plenty of green everywhere. For an international team to practice there it would take a lot of adaptation and understanding.<O:p</O:p
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When the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.banglacricket.com/alochona/ /><st1:country-region w:st=Bangladesh</st1:country-region> team came here for their first practice session on Tuesday two groundsmen were seen rolling the wicket in the hakuna matata (no hurry in <ST1:pAfrica)</ST1:p spirit. The practice wickets had been hit by rain and you could actually plant your finger on the pitch and it would go in. The outfield was bumpy with uncut grass everywhere and it took a while to find out the changing room.<O:p</O:p
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Coach Dav Whatmore inquired about the nets and the groundsmen gave a baffled look. They took a long time to realize that what he wanted was protection around the centre wickets and their body language suggested that it would be quite a test for them to set up the nets. Even then they quite casually disclosed that with the net they have, balls would wheeze through anyway! The pitches did not look good in any case so the first day in Kenya<ST1:p</ST1:p was spent on physical training. The Tigers returned to the ground today (Wednesday), which is about a five-minute drive from their hotel, and nothing much had changed except that those two green overall clad workers were actually setting up the nets.<O:p</O:p
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The sun had not shown its face since the arrival of the Tigers but the weather here at the moment is similar to what you get in a Bangladeshi winter and the squad is enjoying it. The only problem is that <ST1:place <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region></ST1:p sits high above sea level and the altitude factor could often leave you gasping for breath. <O:p</O:p
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The cricketers trained in two groups with all the players getting a bat. The spinners bowled on the spongy wetter wicket and it was a test for the batsmen to negotiate the likes of Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Rafique on it. The one that the pacers bowled on was a mundane slow track. Those who have been to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:pKenya</ST1:p</st1:country-region> before however said that the Nairobi Gymkhana pitch, where all the three ODIs will be played, would be quite sporting. The Tigers are desperate to get a session or two there but that is far from a certainty. So for the time being they are left with Ruaraka and its amateurishness and one delivery from a quick bowlers did go through a hole in the net to strike an unsuspecting Razzak on his right ankle. Razzak kept an ice-pack wrapped around the area for the rest of the day.
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The media interest here about this cricket series is surprising to say the least. Cricket is nowhere near a mass sport in this country but over 20 reporters and cameramen from newspapers and television channels were at the Ruaraka Sports Club on Tuesday to learn more about this B<st1:country-region w:st="on">angladesh</st1:country-region> team and how they are taking this tour. Their questions to coach Whatmore were proof of the groundwork they had done on the Tigers and the willingness to find out about the new players from other members of the side was refreshingly to see. <O:p</O:p
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Tushar Imran, who arrived in <st1:City w:st="on">Nairobi</st1:City> on Tuesday afternoon had his first practice today after flying in to strengthen the batting. Javed Omar and Alok Kapali, who are returning home, were set to leave K<st1:country-region w:st="on">enya</st1:country-region> Thursday morning.

Source: Tigercricket (http://www.tigercricket.com/viewNews.aspx?newsID=172)

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[sadi]

Looks like Bangladesh is not getting good practice facility in Nairobi. Are they doing it on purpose?? ;)

[Thunder]

hope there will be no bad weather intervention. whats the weather forecast for those matches..?

[LateCut]

Come back home! No need to get hurt before the big tornament.

[Fazal]

I have to admit at the begining I was not happy with tigercricket.com. But now looks like it is slowly becoming another useful source of information. And my guess is the involvement of Rabeed Imam is one of the reason behind this.

[sadi]

Yeah agree. They have some very good articles about Bangladesh team. Specially Rabeed's blog about the team when they are on tour is really interesting and useful.

[Miraz]

I have to admit at the begining I was not happy with tigercricket.com. But now looks like it is slowly becoming another useful source of information. And my guess is the involvement of Rabeed Imam is one of the reason behind this.

Rabeed Imam is the editor of tigercricket.com since it started. It seems current appointment as media manager of national team is giving more money and you know money always talks :)

Rabeed Imam is a good journalist and now I guess his dedication is more than before :)

[sadi]

I guess they pay well enough for him to quit writing for cricinfo and the daily star... :)

[HawkEye000]

Rabeed Imam is the editor of tigercricket.com for the last 3-4 years.:)

I think tigercricket.com just started to exist from late last year...... anyways he is doing a good job till now

[Sovik]

lets hope our players are not in Hakuna Matata spirit

[al Furqaan]

lets hope our players are not in Hakuna Matata spirit

lolllllllllllllll

well said

[sadi]

<TABLE class=tablestyle id=Table1 style="WIDTH: 482px; HEIGHT: 196px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=482 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>First gimpse of Gymkhana


TigerCricket.com Report from Nairobi
10-August-2006
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The sun finally came out in all its glory today three days after the arrival of the Bangladesh team in Kenya as the players went through their most intense training session since reaching Nairobi.
Thursday morning’s practice was done at two grounds. There was net practice at the Ruaraka Sports Club for about one and a half hours and then the team went to the Nairobi Gymkhana, venue for the three ODIs against Kenya, for a fielding session. This was their first look at the Gymkhana as they have not been able to train there until today.

The chance to do some fielding, particularly ground fielding, was a welcome thing for the Tigers as the uneven outfield at the Ruaraka made it almost impossible for them to get any sort of fielding practice other than some catching. There is every possibility that a serious injury may occur any time and with a squad that has been shortened to 14, fielding at Ruaraka was not worth the risk. Taking a lesson from the first net session there, the players did not keep their kits and chairs behind the nets as every other ball would just go straight through the holes of the apparently age-old net. Someone had to stay on the boundary line behind the net throughout the session to retrieve the balls.

The Nairobi Gymkhana on the other hand looked ready for the internationals. The wickets were being rolled when the team went there but its greenness raised a few eyebrows. It is however unlikely to stay that way and the grass would be taken off before Saturday’s first ODI. The outfield, that looked like a carpet compared to the Ruaraka’s one, is not as smooth as it appears and after training there the players have realized that there will be some uneven bounce.

In the afternoon the cricketers saw video footages of the Kenyan players. They hope to return to the Gymkhana for some more fielding after a short net session at the Ruaraka tomorrow.

The Kenyan team, which returned to Nairobi from Canada on Wednesday after appearing in two ODIs and the Intercontinental Cup there, were expected to name their side for the series some time today.

Meanwhile, Javed Omar and Alok Kapali, who were supposed to leave for home today, had to stay back in Nairobi due to over-booking in the Qatar Airways flight that would have taken them to Doha on way to Dhaka. They are expected to leave tomorrow afternoon and reach Dhaka on Saturday.

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[Rabz]

no wonder Kenyan Cricket is at such a shambles... all the report is suggesting me that its totally chaotic, mismanaged and unorganised...remind me our own old days..

[akabir77]

no wonder Kenyan Cricket is at such a shambles... all the report is suggesting me that its totally chaotic, mismanaged and unorganised...remind me our own old days..
excuse me!! Bangladesh was never that chaotic. we had a team even when the country was in was. And I think our local club could have arranged it better than Kanya. All our local clubs have good nets and cement pitches for practice and I am says 5 year old story now they should have real stuff by now. Please don't compare BD with Kenya.. We got out status because of the good infrastructure and facilities despite having avg players.

[Miraz]

Oh! My God!! :o

Our Jgannath Hall ground seems to have much better facility than the Ruraka one :)

[Tigers_eye]

Did you all read the 2nd report posted by Sadi?

Here look at the highlights:
"Javed Omar and Alok Kapali, who were supposed to leave for home today, had to stay back in Nairobi due to over-booking in the Qatar Airways flight that would have taken them to Doha on way to Dhaka. They are expected to leave tomorrow afternoon and reach Dhaka on Saturday".
One more stunt like that by Qatar Airways and they will be with the team on 1st ODI. Who knows what may happen then. I hate to speculate.

"Nairobi Gymkhana". Gymkhana?? Where is this stadium? Sounds so fimiliar. I knew a chic living close by.

"Someone had to stay on the boundary line behind the net throughout the session to retrieve the balls" - I wish they made Ash throw the balls back. That way he would have more concentration on ball for a longer period rather than Tisha or someone at Rainhills.

[sadi]

Someone from Bangladesh cancelled the fight of Javed and Alok and didn't even bother to let them know. So they woke up four in the morning thinking they have a flight to catch at seven and in the airport they found out they have to wait another day to leave. Total nonsense. Someone must be responsible for all these. Afterall, they are our international players and deserve to get better treatment.