Kenya recall 42-year-old Tikolo (original) (raw)
The 42-year-old Steve Tikolo has been recalled to the Kenya squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE more than two-and-a-half years after he last played for the country
Steve Tikolo was lbw against Zimbabwe in his previous international innings • Getty Images
The 42-year-old Steve Tikolo has come out of international retirement after being recalled to the Kenya squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE more than two-and-a-half years after he last played for the country.
Tikolo's previous appearance came in the 2011 World Cup, when he faced Zimbabwe in Kolkata, and at the time he said that was the end of his international career that included 134 ODIs and 11 T20s. Since then he has only appeared in a joint Kenya-Uganda domestic structure for Rwenzori Warriors where he has also been coaching.
However, in a further sign of the regression in Kenya cricket, he has been brought back into the fold alongside 35-year-old Thomas Odoyo who also previously played an international during the last World Cup and has not played a Twenty20 international since 2008.
Both Tikolo and Odoyo made their debuts at the 1996 World Cup during which Kenya famously beat West Indies. They also took part in the 1999 event in England then helped Kenya to the high point of their cricket history when they reached the semi-finals of the 2003 tournament in South Africa. Since then, however, the organisation and success of the sport has plummeted despite qualification for the next two World Cups.
Kenya have only qualified for one World Twenty20 tournament, the inaugural competition in South Africa during 2007. Last month they registered the lowest T20 international total of 56 when they were skittled by Afghanistan in Sharjah. Their preparation for the Qualifiers will include a seven-match series in Sri Lanka against the country's A team which includes Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Perera, and Jeevan Mendis.
Sixteen teams who will compete in the Qualifiers - which will be held from November 15-30 in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah - with six places at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh up for grabs.
Other interesting names include David Hemp, the former Glamorgan and Warwickshire batsman who will continue to turn out for Bermuda, the former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones who lines up for Papua New Guinea and Middlesex allrounder Gareth Berg in the Italy squad.
Jamie Atkinson, the Hong Kong captain, also played a match for Warwickshire at the end of the English season after the county suffered an injury crisis among their wicketkeepers. Another familiar name from English cricket who will be around the event is Paul Collingwood who will act as Scotland's assistant coach.
Meanwhile, the USA squad features a pair of former West Indies internationals in captain Neil McGarrell, the left-arm spinner who played four Tests, and seamer Adam Sanford who appeared 11 times between 2002 and 2004.
Afghanistan Mohammad Nabi (capt), Merwais Ashraf, Hamid Hassan, Amir Hamza Hotak, Afsar Khan, Nawroz Mangal, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Shahzad, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Karim Sadiq, Samiullah Shinwari, Najeebullah Zadran, Shapor Zadran, Dawlat Khan Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran
Bermuda Janeiro Tucker (capt), Kamal Bashir, Derrick Brangman, Christian Burgess, Lionel Cann, Allan Douglas II, Christopher Douglas, Terryn Fray, David Hemp, Malachi Jones, Kamau Leverock, Tre Manders, Jacobi Robinson, Dion Stovell, Kwame Tucker
Canada Ashish Bagai (capt), Havir Baidwan, Rizwan Cheema, Henry Onsinde, Damodar Daesrath, Abzal Dean, Jeremy Gordon, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Jimmy Hansra, Kenny Kamyuka, Usman Limbada, Hiral Patel, Raza Rehman, Junaid Siddiqui, Hamza Tariq
Denmark Michael Pedersen (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Christo Botma, Basit Javed, Carsten Pedersen, Yasir Iqbal, Frederik Klokker, Pawan Kumar, Kamran Mahmood, Rizwan Mahmood, Jakob Rubin, Kasper Rubin, Bashir Shah, Hamid Shah
Hong Kong James Atkinson (capt), Tanwir Afzal, Irfan Ahmed, Moner Ahmed, Nadeem Ahmed, Haseeb Amjad, Waqas Barkat, Mark Chapman, Babar Hayat, Aizaz Khan, Nizakat Khan, Roy Lamsam, Ali Skhawat, Kinchit Shah, Daljeet Singh
Ireland William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson
Italy Damian Crowley (capt), Alessandro Bonora, Gareth Berg, Dilan Fernando, Madupa Fernando, Tharindu Fernando, Gayashan Munasinghe, Dinidu Marage, Andy Northcote, Vincenzo Pennazza, Joy Perera, Peter Petricola, Mick Raso, Sujith Rillagodage, Carl Sandri
Kenya Collins Obuya (capt), Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allan, Dhiren Gondaria, Irfan Karim, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo, Hiren Varaiya
Namibia Sarel Burger (capt), Stephan Baard, Gerhard Erasmus, Shalako Groenewald, Louis Klazinga, JP Kotze, Bernard Scholtz, Nicolaas Scholtz, JJ Smit, LP Van Der Westhuizen, Raymond van Schoor, Toby Vervey, Christi Viljoen, Craig Williams, Pikkie Ya France
Nepal Paras Khadka (capt), Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Amrit Bhattarai, Mahesh Chhetri, Shakti Gauchan, Subash Khakurel, Avinash Karn, Gyanendra Malla, Anil Mandal, Jitendra Mukhiya, Sagar Pun, Basant Regmi, Sharad Vesawkar, Rahul Vishwakarma
Netherlands Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Atse Buurman, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski
Papua New Guinea Chris Amini (capt), Charles Amini, Mahuru Dai, Willie Gavera, Andrew Hicks, Geraint Jones, Chris Kent, Van Vagi Morea, Kila Pala, Pipi Raho, John Reva, Assad Vala, Norman Vanua, Jack Vare , Tony Ura
Scotland Kyle Coetzer (capt), Richie Berrington, Neil Carter, Matty Cross, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Michael Leask, Matt Machan, Calum MacLeod, David Murphy, Safyaan Sharif, Rob Taylor, Craig Wallace, Iain Wardlaw
Uganda Davis Arinaitwe Karashani (captain), Hamu Kayondo Bagenda, Arthur Solomon Kyobe, Brian Masaba, Roger Mukasa, Abram Ndhlovu Mutyagaba, Phillemon Selowa Mukobe, Frank Nsubuga, Richard Gideon Okia, Raymond Otim, Patrick Ochan, Jonathan Sebanja, Henry Senyondo, Almuzahim Hamza Saleh, Charles Waiswa
United Arab Emirates Khurram Khan (captain), Saqib Ali, Shaiman Anwar, Muhammad Azam, Nasir Aziz, Amjad Javed, Asim Kurshid, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Naveed, Swapnil Patil, Ahmed Raza, Abdul Shakoor, Kamran Shahzad, Shadeep Silva, Muhammad Shafiq
United States of America Neil McGarrell (captain), Timroy Allen, Danial Ahmed, Imran Awan, Barrington Bartley, Orlando Baker, Akeem Dodson, Karan Ganesh, Muhammad Asad Ghous, Elmore Hutchinson, Steve Massiah, Japen Patel, Adam Sanford, Srinivasa Santhanam, Steven Taylor