The International Cricket Council has shifted the under-19 World Cup from Kenya to New Zealand after the African nation was found to be underprepared for hosting the event slated for next February.
"The ICC Board concluded that with only eight months to go before the event, which Cricket Kenya was awarded in 2006, it was unrealistic to expect Kenya to be ready to host given the large amount of work still needing to be done," the ICC said in a statement.
"It was agreed that New Zealand would be the location for the tournament, subject to the agreement of satisfactory terms," it added.
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said it would have been too big a risk to keep the event in Kenya.
"We have been working with Kenya to monitor their progress towards staging the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup for some time, with visits to the locations earmarked for matches and regular reports to the ICC Board.
"Regrettably, the conclusion reached was that the amount of work still to be done to get many of the venues ready was such that retaining Kenya as a host represented too great a risk to the successful staging of the event," he said.
"It is a difficult conclusion to have reached and a regrettable one from the perspectives of both the ICC and Cricket Kenya, but with just eight months to go before the scheduled start, we could not proceed on the basis of hoping that everything would be ready next February," Lorgat added.
Meanwhile, the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC) and the ICC Board came together yesterday afternoon for their first joint strategy session.
"This was a really useful session bringing together the minds of Presidents, Chairmen and Chief Executives of our Members and the ICC is indebted to Michael Lalor of Ernst and Young in South Africa for having acted as facilitator," ICC president David Morgan said.
"The session asked the delegates to switch from considering the day-to-day issues and challenges they face and focus instead on the longer term future of our great sport.
