Atul Shah Tournament - Not a Great Kenyan Performance

Looking back on the performance by Kenya A and the CCA XI in the Atul Shah Memorial Tournament, there is at first little to find that is positive. Kenya A won 2 matches of 4, while CCA managed only one victory. Neither team really came close to challenging eventual winners Uganda, who finished the tournament unbeaten and having proved a significant point.

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Especially worrying was the performance of both the Kenyan teams with the bat. While the pitches cannot have been great - only one score of 200 in 16 innings shows that the Coast groundsmen have a hell of a lot of work to do, it was never the less a disappointing effort by the Kenyans. There are batting positions up for grabs in the national team at the moment, but none of the players, with the exception Brijal Patel and possibly Timothy Muange, would have had the selectors taking notes. Patel is on the fringes of the Kenya team anyway - another good performance in Denmark would probably ensure his selection for the home series against Bangladesh, but he is not a new face. Muange had two scores in the 30s and two failures, so will need to do more to convince the selectors he is ready to step up a further level. At 22 however, there is at least a glimmer of hope there if he works hard on his technique. The only other Kenyan batsman to average over 20 for the tournament was Mohammed Fazal (CCA), but he is probably too old to be given a run in the A team. Tanmay Mishra, who would have been considered an automatic pick for the national side before this series, did not show the form that brought him to the fore in Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He will have a second chance against the Danes, and one would expect his class to show through there.

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Not surprisingly with such low totals in the matches, it is the bowling figures that give the most hope. Looking at either the leading wicket takers or the best averages sees Kenyan players taking the top four positions. Stewart Kayne (CCA) made his point to the selectors for inclusion in the squad to Denmark with 12 wickets for the tournament at 12.83, including the only 5-wicket haul. His teammate, Rashmi Gami also impressed with 10 wickets at the impressive average of 7.1. Kayne took his wickets at a strike rate of 16.17, while Gami was slightly quicker on 15. A big difference between the two was economy - Gami miserly at 2.84, but Kayne more expensive at 4.76. It would do the Kenya A team a lot of good to have these two in the side to tour Denmark. Gami has been on the fringes of the team already, and this indicates it is beyond time that he got a real go. Kayne has the added bonus that he can bat as well. He left it to his last innings to prove it, but this can only stand him in good stead if the selectors are going to tinker with the team arriving in Denmark in just over a week. Of the Kenya A bowlers, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Rajesh Bhudia, Hiren Variayi and Laxman Jadavji all did well, with Bhudia probably just the standout. If they are linked up with the two Coast spinners, they should prove a sufficient threat to the Danes. All that we will need then is for the batsmen to click. There will be two definite changes to the batsmen being taken on tour that had already been decided before the Atul Shah Tournament: Amit Bhudia, already in Denmark will get an opportunity to show what he can do. He is not having a great time for Herning so far this season, but has shown his quality in the past, and will be sure to have a positive impact. Also coming in to the team will be youngster Hafeez Manji, who will replace the disappointing David Maina.
The squad listed by the selectors to tour Denmark prior to the Mombasa event was as follows:

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B. Patel [Cpt], Lammeck Onyango [V.C], Nehemiah Odhiambo, Alfred Luseno, Maurice Ouma, Malhar Patel, Tanmay Mishra, Rajesh Bhudia, Ashish Karia, Alex Obanda, Laxman Jadavji, Hiren Variayi, Hafeez Manji, Timothy Muange, Amit Bhudia.

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My squad to travel would be:

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Brijal Patel (Cpt), Tanmay Mishra, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Maurice Ouma, Malhar Patel, Rajesh Bhudia, Ashish Karia, Stewart Kayne, Laxman Jadavji, Hiren Variayi, Rashmi Gami, Timothy Muange, Amit Bhudia, Hafeez Manji, Jadavji Jasani.

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Lameck Onyango and Alfred Luseno, originally named for the Atul Shah event never played, so it would seem strange to take them to Denmark if the same was going to be the case there. I suspect they may be being held back for national duties against Bangladesh. I would also replace Alex Obanda who averaged 4.33 from the tournament with Jadavji Jasani who averaged 16.75. It may be that it is too late for changes to be made, in which case those travelling get a reprieve, while Gami and Kayne must wait until next time. I hope for Kenya's sake that this is not the case.