ACS Overseas FIrst-Class Annual 2012

Rest of the World in 2011/12 For cricketers outside the ten full ICC member nations, the institution of the Intercontinental Cup in 2004 created an opportunity to test their mettle in a recognised first-class competition. The fifth edition of the Cup ran from 2009 to 2010 and was memorably won by new entrants Afghanistan. The sixth edition commenced in the 2011 season (see scores in the ‘Matches in 2011’ section on page 13) and it is scheduled to run until 2013. The Cup has been enlarged to include eight nations: Afghanistan will thus defend their title against Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, the Netherlands, Scotland, and the United Arab Emirates. Compared with the 2009-10 Cup, Zimbabwe is excluded having resumed Test cricket while Namibia and the UAE are promoted from the Intercontinental Shield (which has been discontinued). There were six matches in the Intercontinental Cup in 2011/12, and two of the Cup participants also hosted other first-class matches. Namibia played in South Africa’s Provincial Competition, so its five home matches also appear in this section. The UAE continued to act as a neutral venue for matches that would have been hosted by Pakistan but for security concerns: in 2011/12, tours by Sri Lanka (three Tests) and England (three Tests and two other matches). Finally, the UAE again hosted the annual match between MCC and the Champion County (Lancashire). This fixture is now treated as part of the 2011/12 season, although it was previously regarded as belonging to the same year as the English season of which it is the traditional curtain-raiser (so that the previous game also appears in this Annual in ‘Matches in 2011’ on page 23). However, maintaining the previous approach would have meant that a match classified as 2012 took place sandwiched between two other matches both classified as 2011/12. Although understandably desirous of playing internationals on their own grounds as soon as possible, Pakistan prospered in their home from home in the UAE. An attritional but absorbing series against Sri Lanka was won 1-0 (and it would have been 2-0 given better catching in the first Test); while England, arriving in the Emirates freshly crowned as the top team in the ICC rankings, were crushed by three matches to nil (and, in soccer parlance, were lucky to get nil). While England’s bowlers performed well, the batsmen appeared helpless against the left-arm spin of Abdur Rehman and the off-breaks of Saeed Ajmal. The latter’s return of 24 wickets at 14.70 was outstanding, and while England batsmen muttered about his action, the fact remains that his success was attributable not to any extravagant degree of spin but to England’s apparent inability to pick his length. The first of England’s preliminary matches was against an ICC team drawn from non-Test nations. This combination made England work very hard for a three-wicket win, suggesting that this experiment merits a repeat. Note that ICC decided that this match retains first-class status, despite the involvement of G.H.Dockrell of Ireland as a full substitute for Hamid Hassan of Afghanistan when the latter was injured. ICC’s regulations governing first-class status specifically state that ‘no playing members of a side in a first-class match may be replaced for reasons of tactics or injury’. Cricketers from outside the Test world often lament that they have so few opportunities for to show their mettle in first-class competition. So it must be particularly frustrating that Namibia, which enjoys the unique opportunity to participate regularly in a domestic first-class event, has shown such poor results in the South African Provincial competition. In 2011/12 Namibia finished without a win and was last for the second successive season. 645