Cricket

Inside Story of 1st ACA T20I Africa Cup 2022

TRAJECTORY TO SUCCESS : 

Juvenile to Adolescent to Adulthood of ACA

 

ACA - Africa Cricket Association transformation from Juvenile to Adolescent to Adult Formation is a mesmerizing transformation story. Not even 1000 pages will be sufficient to narrate 10% of the story but enlightening with few important lines and facts will be definitely close to the definition of Cricket-for-all  movements under ACA. 

 

The 3 main central ACA leaders were Firebrand Percy Sonn of ICC & South Africa who wanted Africa Continent to break the shackle of Cricket-Apartheid, Peter Chingoka of Zimbabwe an intellectual cricketer cum cricket administrator towing the philosophy of Robert Mugabe on sports image of Africa and Cassim Suliman a South African many-times jailed Anti-Apartheid militant and Cricket-for-all activist. 

 

We are talking during the early 2000 and by then movement of spreading cricket from Soweto ( South Africa) to Sierra Leone to Mali  to Malawi to Mozambique etc.etc.  are already in Africa Cricket Map, thanks to Hoosain Ayob’s persuasion with ICC development Cap but Africa needed a visionary and strong Africa-own Cricket movement, with Africa-own Organization, conducive to global ICC in Africa. Obviously strengthening and reshaping existing ACA in that direction like ACC - Asian Cricket Council, was absolutely workable and relevant to a new term ACC - Africa Cricket Cause of ACA. 

 

JUVENILE ACA 

 

Jagmohan Dalmiya

 

Percy Sonn

 

Peter Chingoka

 

Ray Mali

 

Cassim Suliman

 

The beginning of new born Juvenile ACA in 2004 started with a Big Bang having on their side BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya who was also one of the founder members of Asian Cricket Council from its inception in September 1983 and after completing ICC Presidentship in 2000 he became BCCI President 2001. Valuable exchange of opinions on need of Cricket spreading policies  with Percy Sonn and Peter Chingoka in restricted  ICC board, during his tenure as ICC head starting in 1997, specially through intense future collaboration between 2 giants, Africa and Asia, Afro-Asia Dream-Projects were  born within the heart and soul of senior Asian and African Cricket bosses. 

 

Soon after completion of BCCI tenure in 2004, Jagmohan Dalmiya became ACC - Asian Cricket Council President from 1st July 2004 and Project Afro-Asia though AACC - Afro Asia Cricket Cooperation was formed in same year Dalmiya as a President ; the MOU between Africa and Asia was signed by Jagmohan Dalmiya for ACC and Peter Chingoka for ACA.  Cassim Suliman was the principal executive as a CEO of ACA to execute Afro Asia project in Africa and coordinated with ACC CEO Ashraful Huq in Asia. 

 

New  "juvenile" ACA were well guided and aided by ACC big brother and Africa Cricket witnessed a very promising start in 2005 for the benefit of Africa Cricket through various cricketing activities  and different level of games among male and female teams. It was indeed a healthy boosting flurry to the sails of ICC development activities in Africa. 

 

Unfortunately the Afro-Asia was short lived and could not survive beyond 2007 due to various factors. African firebrand Percy Sonn died unexpectedly on 27th May 2007 and So-called politically motivated ugly court battle between Former BCCI and former ACC President Dalmiya and new BCCI president powerful Indian Union minister Sharad Pawar.

 

But the the good start of ACA was flagged by ACC and it continued its activities embracing next stage.

 

ADOLESCENT ACA

 

In 2007 ICC and ACA entered in an African joint-venture of Cricket Development through an MOU agreement between IDI - ICC Development ( International ) Limited and ACA - Africa Cricket Association with the aim of integrating developments activities in Africa. 

 

The MOU detailed that ICC would provide funds to the ACA to deliver the ICC Development Program in Africa. Most importantly the budget would also be supplemented by a minimum spend on development from ACA around USD$300k from ACA per year.

 

The 2 years valid MOU was renewed in 2009, 2011, 2013 and expired on 31st December 2014 through mutual understandings. 

 

As per our information the partnership between ICC and ACA has worked well  and produced some excellent results in development efforts in Africa. Although close working relationship between ACA and ICC continues but certain unexplained factors did not give continuity of the MOU. 

 

It is believed that after resignation of the then  ICC global development manager and until the vacancy is filled through new recruitment the relationship between ACA and ICC Development department senior manager who was Acting as global manager was not fruitful, till new Global manager fully took charge and after some time said Senior development manager resigned. 

 

The adolescent ACA had a memorable journey jointly with ICC for Africa Cricket Development. 

 

ADULTHOOD ACA

 

Jackie Janmohamed 

 

Kwesi Sagoe

 

Dipankar Sengupta (Dip)

 

Hester Khan 

 

Girish Ramakrishna 

 

Famously known as Jackie, Zehrabanu Janmohamed the first Continental Lady elected as a Chairperson of Africa Cricket Association in 2017 took over Chairmanship from outgoing Kwesi Sagoe, of Nigeria who governed ACA very dignifiedly.  In the board meeting at Nairobi outgoing Kwesi Sagoe called for  the necessity of an independent and strong ACA to support and develop cricket  in Africa as the valuable independent entity complimenting global governing body ICC. The idea was well unanimously accepted by the board under newly elected Chairperson Jackie. 

 

Chair Jackie invited FD-finance director, Dipankar  Sengupta, commonly known as Dip, one of the senior most member of the ACA board to prepare a dossier on a new-face independent ACA. It is believed that acceptance of Dip was subject to the condition that he must have an absolute free hand and liberty and total confidence of Board and without any interference by any till he submits the complete report to Chair with appropriate framework of plan, executive program and financial feasibility study.  It was agreed unanimously. 

 

Dip requested Development Director of ACA Girish Ramakrishna to join his team and to help an Independent-ACA Project. Girish, son of famous Indian social reformer and philanthropist Dr. A.R.K.Pillai , young at 90+years and founder Chairman of IDF - Indian Development Foundation; very enthusiastically and full heartedly joined the team. 

 

The team undertook the new-face ACA framework of plan, guided by the ACC senior tournament structure of Asia Cup, executive program was designed suitable through regional qualification system and most hardest part, financial stability with appropriate feasibility of the project was launched through Zimbabwean  Econet Media group company KWESE Sports, a subsidiary body of Upcoming KWESE TV in South Africa, started on 4th December 2015. 

 

The product was named as ACA T20 Africa Cup. 

 

After various communication with the probable TV producer / Broadcaster KWESE sports a meeting between ACA board members Dip and Girish with KWESE sports CEO Jeroen Oerlemans and his team was held at KWESE sports Johannesburg Office on 14th December 2017, to discuss forthcoming ACA T20 Africa Cup qualification stage and final details. Louwrens Rensburg head of production of KWESE sports established contacts with ACA CEO Cassim Suliman at Willowmoore Park Stadium, Benoni. 

 

After completion of full dossier, project ACA T20 Africa Cup was presented to Chairperson Jackie for green signal of ACA Board and ACA T20 Africa Cup was officially launched. 

 

On 23rd April 2018 ACA T20 Africa Cup was born and inaugurating match between Ghana and Gambia of North-West Region Qualifiers was held  at Lagos, Nigeria in presence of  ACA Chair Jackie and Formar Chair Kwesi Sagoe and host NCF President Prof. Yahaya. 

 

On 5th November 2018 last cycle of T20 Africa Cup qualifiers for Southern and Central Africa zone was started in Gaborone, Botswana. However this last part of regional qualifiers faced an uphill task for the inability of KWESE Sports to sponsor and produce due to serious financial restrain and meltdown of the entities. 

 

Fortunately ACA T20 África Cup core project team consists of Jackie, Dip and Girish with the excellent collaboration from CEO Cassim Suliman revived, resurrect and fill up the unpredictable vacuums to put ACA T20 Africa Cup Project on a stable foundation through various investors and donors and new title sponsorships HOLBUD, an European Shipping and Trading company was introduced by ACA FD Dip. 

 

ACA Tournament Director Hester Khan from Namibia was the principal event and tournament coordinator of ACA T20 Africa Cup. 

 

Most highlighted chapter of ACA T20 Africa Cup project was augmented by Chairperson Jackie Janmohamed when she single handedly sponsored total logistic of ACA AGM at Nairobi on June 15 in 2019 where the ACA T20 Africa Cup Final  program was determined; as well as introduction of new process to award a new Company for exclusive rights to market, produce, broadcast and distribute of all ACA T20 Africa Final matches.  

 

I am absolutely sure that continuity of determination process of these rights were very ably executed by CEO Cassim and well coordinated by FD Dip and TD Hester, despite serious set back and delays caused by pandemic COVID19.

 

Africa Cricket Association Continental cricket organization should always remain grateful to ICC - International Cricket Council, Global governing body, specifically to Patricia Kambarami, regional development manager of ICC Africa  and her team for unforgettable facts on her sincere collaboration for ACA to organize Africa Cup Regional Qualifiers in Lagos and Gaborone in proficient coordination of post ICC regional qualifications. 

 

Such collaboration and coordination always make Cricket is the Winner as ACA T20 Africa Cup will have the privilege to showcase the Africa Cricket to Global viewers of all 5 continents through direct televised games among 8 African Countries. 

 

Yes, ACA have consummated it's Adulthood.