How introduction of cricket in school games will help grow the sport

Efforts aimed at growing the game of cricket locally received a major boost on Saturday after the Ministry of Education made the decision to introduce the sport in secondary school games.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Education informed all county and regional directors of education of the decision. For long, Cricket Kenya has pushed for inclusion of cricket in secondary schools sports calendar. 

“The purpose of this circular is to inform you that cricket is officially recognised by the Ministry of Education,” the letter signed by the Head of Directorate, Field Coordination and Co-curricular Activities, Nelson Sifuna, said.

“KSSSA (Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association) will organise how cricket will be included in KSSSA competitions, either through a pilot phase or a phased implementation framework. Meanwhile, you are requested to give Cricket Kenya the necessary assistance they may require in promoting the activity,” the letter added. 

Inclusion in schools' games

Sifuna signed the circular on behalf of the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Julius Bitok. The letter was copied to Cricket Kenya’s Chief Executive Officer Ronald Bukusi. CK has been pushing for cricket’s inclusion in secondary school games since 2023. 

Last year, the campaign got a major boost after the Ministry of Education selected cricket as one of the sports for demonstration at the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (Feassa) held in Kakamega. The other sports selected for the demonstration were lacrosse and beach volleyball. 

On Saturday, Bukusi welcomed the inclusion of cricket in secondary school games, noting that it will expand the sport’s grassroots base in the country and create a steady pathway for talent development.

“It (inclusion of cricket in secondary school games) opens a whole world of possibilities for us,” stated Bukusi.

“With the backing of the Ministry of Education, it is now easier to engage school principals to introduce cricket in their institutions. Before, it was difficult because we (CK) were like a private entity,” he added. 

Leadership wrangles

Kenya’s cricket fortunes have dwindled over the years due to leadership wrangles and poor talent development. Kenya featured in five editions of the International Cricket Council World Cup from 1996 to 2011. Bukusi said CK officials will meet their counterparts from the Ministry of Education to prepare the strategy for introducing the sport in the secondary school games roster.

Some of the issues to be discussed include the school term the cricket competition will be held, and format of play . At last year’s Feassa in Kakamega, cricket attracted boys and girls teams from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 

A wicket was constructed at the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), with the learners competing in the T10 format and not the usual Twenty20 (T20) or One Day International (ODI) formats. In cricket, T10 is played over 10 overs per side, while T20 is played over 20 overs per side. ODI is played over 50 overs per side. In each over of the three formats, a team bowls six times.

Bukusi said they will focus on training more teachers in the sport so that they can effectively coach their learners.