SAMOA PLAYS HOST TO PEPSI ICC WORLD CRICKET LEAGUE ...

Division 8 Samoa 2012OFFICIAL GUIDEwww.pepsiiccworldcricketleague.com Division 8, Samoa 2012TEAM PROFILESbelgiumBhutanghanajapannorwaysamoasurinameVanuatuIt is thought that cricket wasbrought to Belgium by Flemishemigrants from as early as the 14thcentury. The first recorded cricketmatch in what is now Belgiumactually pre-dates Belgium itselfby 16 years, when British Guardsofficers played a match shortlybefore the Battle of Waterlooin 1815.Currently ranked 11th in Europe,Belgium will be playing in its firstPepsi ICC World Cricket Leaguein Apia. The side qualified withvictory in the ICC European WorldCricket League Division 8 Qualifierin June 2012. Belgium’s dominantperformance saw it go undefeatedthroughout the tournament.Six players in the youthful squadhave come through the Belgianyouth system, three of whom - JamieFarmiloe, Nirvam Shah and ShaivalMehta - were members of thesquad that won the 2009 EuropeanUnder-19 Division 2 title in Belgium.Left arm medium fast bowlerShaival Mehta is known for hisaccurate line and length. One ofthe youngsters in the team, he isalso a good lower order batsman,scoring 83 for the Belgium U-19team against Gibraltar U-19 inAugust 2011, and will be a playerto watch at this tournament.Bhutan’s national team participatedin an international tournamentfor the first time in 2003, whenit took part in the Asian CricketCouncil (ACC) Emerging Nationstournament.The side made its Pepsi ICC WorldCricket League debut when itcompeted in the inaugural Division8 event in Kuwait in 2010, where itwon two of its matches, includinga nail-biting win on the last ballto defeat the Bahamas in theseventh-place play-off.Bhutan finished ninth in the ACCTwenty20 Cup in December 2011,again winning the match on thelast ball to beat Saudi Arabia inthe ninth-place play-off. A playerof the match performance fromSonam Tobgay in this final gamewas a highlight for the team after adisappointing tournament.The side has prepared for thisyear’s Division 8 with a 12-weektraining programme, and, under theguidance of new coach FernandoLantra, its goal is to win thetournament.One of Bhutan’s key players at thistournament will be captain andall-rounder Jigme Singye, who isknown for his ability to performunder pressure. He scored 25 runsand took five wickets for 23 runs ina man of the match performancein the seventh-place play-off ofDivision 8 in 2010, and will belooking to continue his strong form.Ghana will be making its WorldCricket League debut in Samoaafter qualifying through regionaltournaments. The side finishedtop of the table in ICC Africa WorldCricket League 3 in 2008, beatingSwaziland by five wickets in thefinal to win the tournament.The side showed off its all-roundcapabilities in Division 2, held inSouth Africa in 2011, winning fiveof its matches to finish secondand progress to the Division 1event. Four players won playerof the match awards during thetournament, with Obed Harveywinning three.The Africa Division 1 event wasa disappointing tournamentfor Ghana, who won only oneof its matches. However, goodperformances from FrancisBakiweyem, Peter Ananya, ObedHarvey and Vincent Ateak helpedthe team seal qualification fromAfrica Division 1 to this eventin Samoa.Nineteen-year-old Julius HorlaliMensah was a key contributor inthe ICC Africa Division 1 event,and was the team’s secondhighest run-scorer. He hascontinued to improve and wasa key all-rounder in the RAVSolution Cricket Club during therecent Accra T20 League, wherehe was Deputy Captain of RAVSolution Cricket Club. He will bea player to watch in Samoa.As part of its preparation forDivision 8, the squad joined withSierra Leone and Mozambique fora training camp in South Africa,working with coaches DarylCullinan, Andre Nel, Peter Kirsten,Ken Jennings and Jonty Rhodes.Japan will need to demonstratesignificant improvement in Samoafrom its form last year if it is tosecure promotion back to Pepsi ICCWorld Cricket League Division 7.2011 was a year to forget for theEast Asia-Pacific side as it lostall six matches at Division 7 inBotswana, relegating the team tothis event. It also lost all four of itsmatches at the East Asia-Pacificregional event, including matchesagainst fellow Division 8 teamsSamoa and Vanuatu.However, all is not lost for Japan,which has unearthed a number oftalented indigenous players in thelast 12 months, who it is confidentwill prove more than a handful toopposition teams in Samoa.Add to this a growing juniordevelopment programme andsignificant experience playingcricket in the Pacific, as well as anumber of training camps, andJapan will not be a nation to betaken lightly.A lot will be expected of TakuroHagihara, a hard-working rightarmmedium-fast bowler who willbe competing in his fourth WCLevent. Takuro will look to takethe next step with his bowlingafter a strong performance lastyear in Division 7, where he took 6wickets at an average of 23.Norway is another team lookingto win immediate qualificationback to Division 7. The sideplayed in Division 6 as recently asSeptember 2009, where it wonone of its matches to finish fifth.Norway was relegated to Division7, which was held in Botswanain 2011. The team could againonly manage one win from itsfive games, and was relegated toDivision 8.Since then, the team has shownstrong signs of improvement,claiming fifth spot in the ICCEuropean Division 1 Championshipin June 2011. After winning threeof its group matches, the sidebeat France to claim fifth position.In June this year, the team wonthe ICC European World CricketLeague Division 8 Qualifier,beating France again to secureits progress through to theglobal event.The squad is a combination ofyoung talent and experiencedplayers, many of whom havevaluable recent match practice,and Norway will be out to provethat it is not an easy team to beat.Muhammad Shahbaz Butt will becaptaining the team for the firsttime at a major tournament. Hewas the fourth highest run scorerof Division 7, as well as one of theleading wicket takers.Samoa will be making itsWorld Cricket League debut onhome soil at this event afterqualifying courtesy of a dominantperformance at the 2011 PepsiICC East Asia-Pacific Division 2event that saw it go through theweek undefeated.The local side boasts a numberof players who ply their trade inNew Zealand and who have nointention of ‘just making up thenumbers’ at their first global event.Samoa will relish the opportunityto reignite the rivalry with fellowPacific nation Vanuatu in Apia asit aims to turn around the nailbitingfive run defeat it sufferedlast year, which denied it a placein the final of the East Asia-PacificDivision 1 event.Captain and right-handedbatsman Benjamin Mailata hasled the way for his nation overthe last 18 months with dominantperformances at Division 1 and 2of the Pepsi ICC East Asia-PacificChampionship. He becameSamoa’s first ever centurion ininternational cricket at the EastAsia-Pacific Division 2 tournament,and was selected in the EastAsia-Pacific representative teamfor the Australian Country CricketChampionships.Featuring a mature team withsignificant 50-over cricketexperience, nothing short of aplace in the final will satisfy theexpectations of the Samoa playersor passionate local supporters.Suriname made its internationaldebut at the Americas AffiliatesChampionship in 2006, and hasgradually risen through the ranksever since. The side qualifiedfor the Pepsi ICC World CricketLeague Division 7 in 2009through the Americas regionalqualification process.Unfortunately, Suriname couldonly manage one win out of itsfive games at the global event –against the fancied Nigeria – andfinished fifth in the six-teamtournament. As a result, Surinamewas relegated to Division 8 inKuwait in 2010. In a tournamentto forget, Suriname finished lastin its group without winninga match.Suriname has enjoyed greatersuccess in the past two years,winning the ICC Americas RegionDivision 2 Twenty20 on homesoil. As a result, the side gainedpromotion to the Division 1 eventa few months later, where itfinished fifth.The side has held extensivetraining in the lead-up to thisevent, and will be looking to winits way back to Division 7.Veteran all-rounder ShazamRamjohn is captaining the side,and will bring considerableinternational experience to theteam. He was instrumental incementing the team’s first-placespot in the ICC Americas WCLDivision Two Championship in2008, and captained the team inPepsi ICC WCL Division 8 in 2010.Vanuatu retained its place inWorld Cricket League Division 8after a third place finish at theevent in Kuwait in 2010.The small Pacific nation hasshown great improvement sincethat tournament, winning bronzeat the 2011 Pacific Games in NewCaledonia and finishing runner-upto PNG at the Pepsi ICC East Asia-Pacific Division 1 Championship.A number of the team’s players,including star all-rounder SimpsonObed, spent the summer inAustralia playing with district clubNorth Melbourne. This providedthe group with expert coachingand invaluable experience againstquality opposition. Two membersof the team were also named in theEmerging East Asia Pacific Squad.The 24-year-old right-handedbatsman and dangerous offspinner,Andrew Mansale, is captainof the Vanuatu side. He was theleading run scorer at the WCLDivision 8 event in 2010, scoring 288runs at an average of 72, including amatch winning 124 not out againstZambia to keep Vanuatu in theWorld Cricket League.Vanuatu recently appointed PeterWooden to take the reins of theyouthful side as the new headcoach, and he will be every bit asmotivated as the players to makean immediate impact and thrusthis side back up to Division 7.

Division 8 Samoa 2012OFFICIAL GUIDEwww.pepsiiccworldcricketleague.com Division 8, Samoa 2012WELCOME MESSAGESALAN ISAACWelcome to the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL)Division 8, taking place for the first time on the beautifulisland of Samoa. Since the Pepsi ICC DevelopmentProgramme began in 1997, much work has been done tospread the game of cricket across the globe and that effortand financial investment is bearing fruit.As our great sport continues to grow even stronger aroundthe world, the ICC now has 106 Members, 96 of whom areAssociates and Affiliates, spread across five regions. As the overall standard ofcricket continues to improve outside of the 10 Full Members, there is now a clearpathway for every team to continue to develop its cricketing skills and talents.The WCL is an important competition that provides all of our Members with theopportunity to compete with the very top teams in the Associate and Affiliate world.This plays an important role in improving the standard of competitive cricket on thefield of play among Associate and Affiliate Members. The event also complementsthe ICC’s ongoing work to improve all facets of the development of the game,including facilities, coaching, governance, education and domestic competitions.I would like to thank the Samoan International Cricket Association for itshard work in helping to stage this ICC event, the media who help to promoteAssociate and Affiliate cricket, and also to our excellent sponsor, Pepsi, for theongoing support in the development of cricket world-wide.Finally, I urge the match officials and all the players of Bhutan, Belgium, Ghana,Japan, Norway, Suriname, Vanuatu, and our host Samoa to enjoy the experienceof representing their country, to play the game in the best spirit, and may thebest team win.Alan IsaacICC PresidentSeb KohlhaseTalofa!It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our beautifulcountry Samoa. The Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division8 promises to be an exciting event and we thank theInternational Cricket Council for providing our country theopportunity to host such a vast array of countries from allover the world. Bringing people together from differentbackgrounds is one of the great joys that cricket delivers.We at the Samoa International Cricket Association take pride in the quality of ourfacilities and are truly grateful to host this prestigious tournament. The Pepsi ICCWCL Division 8 is the largest cricket tournament to grace our shores and everyoneinvolved in Samoan Cricket has worked closely with the ICC to contribute to asuccessful and enjoyable tournament for all those involved.The Pepsi ICC WCL Division 8 will be a fantastic opportunity to continue thedevelopment of cricket in Samoa. With the great standard of cricket that will be ondisplay, there is no doubt that the promotion of cricket will reach unprecedentedlevels as a result of this tournament.I wish good luck to all the participants and officials with your preparationsfor The Pepsi ICC WCL Division 8. We look forward to welcoming you to Samoa.Fa’afetai LavaSeb KohlhasePresident Samoa International Cricket AssociationPEPSI ICC WCL DIVISION 8 MATCH SCHEDULEDAY DATE garden oval 1 garden oval 2 garden oval 3 garden oval 4Fri 14 SepPractice1 Sat 15 Sep Bhutan v Belgium Suriname v Japan Ghana v Samoa Norway v Vanuatu2 Sun 16 Sep No Play3 Mon 17 Sep Ghana v Vanuatu Samoa v Norway Japan v Bhutan Suriname v Belgium4 Tue 18 Sep Rest/ Reserve Day5 Wed 19 Sep Suriname v Bhutan Japan v Belgium Samoa v Vanuatu Ghana v Norway6 Thu 20 Sep A1 v B2 B1 v A2 A3 v B4 B3 v A47 Fri 21 Sep Rest/ Reserve Day8 Sat 22 Sep Final 3 rd v 4 th play-off 5 th v 6 th play-off 7 th v 8 th play-offWinner A1vB2 v Winner B1vA2 Loser A1vB2 v Loser B1vA2 Winner A3vB4 v Winner A4vB3 Loser A3vB4 v Loser A4vB3Please note all matches begin at 9:30am Samoa local timeWORLD CRICKET LEAGUE OFFICIAL GUIDEICC CONTACTSICC EAP Media Manager: Adam CassidyTel: (+61) 424 081 523Email: adam.cassidy@cricket.com.auEvent Operations: Eddie FitzgibbonTel: +(971) 50 640 1220Email: edward.fitzgibbon@icc-cricket.comCREDITSPhotos courtesy of ICC photographer Ian Jacobs, ICC East Asia-Pacific and ICC EuropeDesigned and produced by Tobasgo Creative Communications (Tel: +44 8450 80 80 40)