Players For Winter Training Camp Confirmed

Kenya's four players selected to go to the Winter Training Camp in Pretoria, South Africa have all verbally confirmed their availability. All the players selected are expected to play a role for Kenya in the upcoming World Cup, but are also all players with plenty of years ahead of them in which to make use of the skills learnt. This was a major factor in their selection as Kenya look to life beyond West Indies 2007.

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Hiren Vayaiya (22), Maurice Ouma (23), Nehemiah Odhiambo (23) & Tanmay Mishra (19) have all represented Kenya this year and, with the exception of Ouma have all given glimpses of their potential. It is good to see the Kenyan selectors going for players that will not only play for us in the Windies, but whom may well form the backbone of the team over the next decade.

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Mishra is at 19 the youngest of the players selected, but he is also perhaps the one from whom most is expected. Despite his age, he has shown maturity with the bat against almost all of Kenya's opponents so far this year. While he has not yet made a half century in an ODI, he has come close and his average of 25.33 is one that should rise over the coming year once he convinces himself he can get past this milestone. He went some way to realising his true potential with an unbeaten 83 against Canada in the first innings of the Intercontinental Cup and one imagines was an almost automatic choice for a spot. Should get a lot out of this opportunity.

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Hiren Varaiya also came to the fore against Canada where he took 3/27 on debut in the Intercontinental Cup and followed it up with 4/25 on his ODI debut. Unlike Mishra, his average of 11.71, economy of 3.51 and strike rate of 20 may all suffer as he comes up against stiffer opposition, but he has the potential to also develop into a match winner for us. He has been working recently on taking more wickets rather than worrying overly about his economy and it certainly worked against Canada. I am not sure why he was left out against Bangladesh, but it is great to see him given this chance to improve his game. He has a very professional approach, so should derive maximum benefit from the camp.

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Nehemiah Odhiambo was one of the three Kenyans who attended last year's camp, and surprised many by returning with the greatest improvement. With a strike rate of 53.5 in ODIs and an economy of 5.21, there is still plenty of room for improvement, but his first class average of 16.28 and economy of 3.95 give some indication as to what he is capable of. Nehemiah really came into his own this year with 5/54 against Canada in the Intercontinental Cup and will be hoping this camp has a similar effect on him in his second year. If it does, he could develop into a very useful bowler indeed for Kenya.

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Maurice Ouma is the oldest player being sent by Kenya and the one with the greatest need to make the most of it. This time last year, he was in fine form as Kenya thumped Zimbabwe A, but little has gone right for him recently. Potentially a long-term replacement for Kennedy Obuya, he needs to regain his confidence in his ability and learn the concentration needed to survive as an opener. He will also need to make some big strides in his wicketkeeping if he is to claim that position as his own. His selection in the four an indication of the selector's faith that he can do both. Hossain Ayob once described him as a star in the making, let's hope the camp helps realise that somewhat sidetracked potential.