Accra, Feb. 18, GNA - Ghana had a disappointing cricket outing against the visiting Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of the United Kingdom in her first major international friendly matches hosted on her own soil.
Both the under-19 national team and their seniors lost all their matches to their guests who are to tour two other African countries - Gambia and Morocco- as part of their yearly itinerary.
The senior national team in particular had raised the hopes of the nation of making her proud by staging an immaculate performance but alas, they failed to live up to their promise.
The under-19 started the string of losses when they were subdued on the first day by 190 runs in 38.4 overs to 93 runs all out to 22 overs. As if that was a flash in the pan, the senior national team also lost to the MCC who made a total of 228 runs for 10 wickets in 48.1 overs as against 126 runs for 10 wickets in 38.2 overs by Ghana. As the Ghanaian senior team thought they had gotten their rhythms right to make amends in the third game, they surprisingly lost by five wickets when the MCC scored 152 runs for 4 wickets while Ghana managed 149 in 35 overs.
To round up their impressive performances held at both the Achimota Oval and the Accra Polo Ground, the visitors again won the "Chairman's Eleven" on Tuesday. They won the toss and decided to bat first making a total of 305 runs in 50 overs while Ghana could only reply with 196 runs.
But officials of the Ghana Cricket Association told the GNA Sports in Accra on Wednesday that the exercise has helped identify the strength and weaknesses which will be looked at before the country defends her West African crown and the 2007 Cricket World Cup qualifiers in South Africa next month.
The MCC, responsible for making the laws of cricket, is the world's most famous cricket club. They left Accra for the Gambia for a similar exercise on Wednesday, January 18, and are also billed to tour Morocco in October this year.
It was founded in 1787, and controlled the sport as well as its most popular venue until it was taken over by the International Cricket Council.
Being the "mother" of cricket, the MCC, as part of its yearly itinerary selects few countries around the globe to engage in some matches, as well as help develop the sport especially among young people.
A year after its formation, the MCC laid down the code of laws, requiring the wickets to be pitched 22 yards apart and initiated how players could be given out.