On August 14, Cricket Kenya announced that Dodda Ganesh, a former Indian fast bowler, would become the head coach of the men’s national team. Ganesh, who played for Karnataka and represented India in four Test matches and one ODI, was expected to bring stability to Kenyan cricket during a time of transition.

He replaced Lameck Onyango, who had been the interim coach. Onyango, along with Joseph Angara and Joseph Asichi, was part of Ganesh’s coaching staff.

However, in an unexpected turn, Ganesh has been dismissed from his role exactly one month after his appointment.

Cricket Kenya: Appointment did not follow established procedures

According to Nation.Africa, Ganesh received a letter stating that on August 28, 2024, the Cricket Kenya executive board decided not to approve his appointment as head coach. The letter mentioned that his appointment did not follow the proper procedures outlined in their rules.

The letter also declared that the contract made between Dodda Ganesh and Mr. Manoj Patel on August 7, 2024, was invalid. As a result, Cricket Kenya would not be bound by that contract.

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The letter instructed Ganesh to stop all work with the men’s national cricket team immediately. It also said that any questions or issues about this decision should be directed to Mr. Manoj Patel or anyone else involved in his appointment.

The letter was signed by Pearlyne Omami, Cricket Kenya’s Director of Women’s Cricket, on behalf of the board. It’s not clear yet what rules were broken in Ganesh’s appointment, but this decision ends his hopes of leading Kenya back into the ODI and T20I World Cups.

Lameck Onyango and Joseph Angara are back as interim coach and assistant coach. Their first task will be to compete in the ICC Division 2 Challenge League, where Kenya will face Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Jersey, and Denmark.

Kenya chose to bat first after winning the toss and managed to score 141 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Then, they restricted South Africa to just 71 runs, with five overs to spare. This defeat for South Africa came right after they had a big win over Ghana by 134 runs the day before, at the same ground.

Collins Obuya’s batting was crucial for Kenya, with Rakep Patel being the next highest scorer with 28 runs. Among the bowlers, Heinrigh Pieterse did well, taking 2 wickets for 23 runs, while Dylan Bester, Jason Raubenheimer, and Jesse Prodehl each took 1 wicket.

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South Africa’s batting struggled, with captain George van Heerden being the top scorer with 22 runs. They lost their first three wickets quickly, with Maahir Joseph and Pieterse falling to Lucas Oluoch, and Lehan Botha caught off Gerard Mwendwa’s bowling. Van Heerden and Keagan Lion-Cachet managed a partnership of 36 runs, but it wasn’t enough to turn the match around.

However, frequent wickets stopped South Africa from gaining any momentum as they went from 55/3 to all out for 71 runs in just 4.4 overs.

Next, South Africa will play against Uganda in their last Group A match on Wednesday.