Holland Batting To Unassailable Position

Kenya's inability to take wickets in the morning of the second day of the Intercontinental Cup match against Holland mean the visitors have managed to put on a further 131 runs today for the loss of only 2 more wickets. Holland are now 9-452 with rain holding up proceedings at Nairobi Gymkhana. With 36 overs so far having been bowled toady, Ashish Karia was only bowled for one. Why bother picking a promising player, and then not giving him a fair go. He took 2 wickets yesterday from his 4 overs, better than any other bowler, and yet Tikolo persists in not bowling him. Kenya's 5 Seamers have bowled 74 overs between them, and conceded 236 runs. They have also taken 6 of the 9 wickets. Kenya's 3 spinners have bowled 58 overs and conceded 195 runs. They only have 2 wickets. Tikolo who has bowled the greates number of overs (30), has so far coceded 101 runs, and is yet to take a wicket. Surely it would make more sense to give more overs to the bowlers with the higher strike rates. The seamers are averaging a wicket every 12 overs, the spinners every 27. This match has already slipped a long way out of Kenya's grasp. Aggressive bowling with all of the seamers toward the end of yesterday may well have bowled the Dutch out. Instead, they have added 40 odd for the 8th wicket, and then 95 for the 9th. Even if Kenya get a wicket immediately on resumption, Holland look almost certain to take a first innings lead, and quite probably the match. Kenya are effectively already a wicket down with Modi incapacitated, and it will take a superhuman effort to get things back on track again. I am an optimist by nature, but I really don't know if this Kenyan batting lineup will be able to keep us in the game. Just before I post this, I note that we have finally bowled them out. Peter Ongondo deservedly takes the last wicket, that of Schiferli for 69. Holland all out for 474. A huge mountain for the Kenyan batsmen to climb.