It had been just around a month since the former Indian pacer, Dodda Ganesh, was hired as the new head coach of the Kenya side on August 14, 2024. But, the board has dismissed the papers to end their relationship with the veteran fast bowler.
Dodda Ganesh highlighted his ambitions to bring Kenya back to the World Cups, with their previous edition of the tournament coming in 2011, where the 50-over event was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, as he made his target clear at the Sikh Union Club during the felicitation ceremony.
“The objective is to qualify for the World Cups, both ODIs and T20Is, but before that, we need to start preparing and start making progress. We have started preparing, and the signs are good.” The 51-year-old pacer expressed in a conversation with ESPNcricinfo. “We got hardly any time left [for the first tournament], so I am watching local league matches. There will be fitness tests. We will slowly get into a process.”
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Dodda Ganesh, who featured for India in four Test matches and one ODI to pick up five international wickets at a very high average besides showing his class and quality with 365 first-class wickets and 2023 runs in 104 games, was expected to share his knowledge with the team.
Kenya shows early exit to Dodda Ganesh due to irregularities in the hiring process
Kenya will be facing Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Denmark, and Jersey at the ICC Division 2 Challenge League this month, followed by the T20 World Cup Africa qualifiers in October.
The reports have claimed that a statement regarding the situation of Dodda Ganesh was issued on the sudden failure of the pre-set guidelines during the process of the appointment as the head coach.
“Under a resolution of the executive board of Cricket Kenya passed on Wednesday, 28th August 2024, and anchored under inter alia Articles 5.9 and 8.4.3 of the Cricket Kenya Constitution, we wish to notify you that the executive board has declined to ratify your appointment as head coach of the men’s cricket national team for want of following established procedures.” The letter has been signed by Cricket Kenya’s Director of Women’s Cricket, Pearlyne Omami.
The association with Kenya goes a long way back to 2000. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary Brijesh Patel arranged for the state team to tour Kenya for a series of limited overs maters, where Dodda Ganesh played seven games in Nairobi and Mombasa.
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The veteran pacer was expected to be assisted by the former internationals of the country Lameck Onyango and Joseph Angara. The team made their semi-final appearance at the 2003 World Cup in Southern Africa, after which the off-field issues and reports of corruption and the threat of the player’s strike in 2010 brought a decline in their game.
Despite playing five consecutive ODI World Cups till 2007, they lost the ODI status in 2014 after finishing fifth in the World Cup qualifiers. When they reached the World Cup semi-final in 2003, they were coached by the former Indian player Sandeep Patil.