Kenya team for WCL Div 1 Announced

Cricket Kenya Press Realease:

Cricket Kenya wishes to inform members of the press that the National Cricket Team will participate in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 which will be held in The Netherlands from 1st – 10th July 2010.

Prior to that, the team will travel to Manchester in the United Kingdom to play in a series of warm matches which have been arranged by Friends of Kenya.

For these two events, junior players have been considered due to Cricket Kenya’s long term objectives for the team’s development. Due to injuries, David Obuya will be unavailable for these two assignments. While Seren Waters, will be unavailable owing to school commitments.

Cricket Kenya is happy to announce the squad as:

Players
1. Morris Ouma Amolo
2. James Kabatha Kamande
3. Collins Omondi Obuya
4. Alex Obanda Auma
5. Elijah Asoyo Otieno
6. Hiren Ashok Varaiya
7. Rakep Rajendrabhai Patel
8. Alfred Luseno Sorongo
9. Nehemiah Odhiambo Ngoche
10. Thomas Odoyo Migai
11. James Otieno Ngoche
12. Shem Obado Ngoche
13. Nelson Odhiambo
14. Francis Otieno Ndege
15. Dominic Saleh Wesonga

The following will act as technical personnel for the team for both tournaments:

1. Eldine Baptiste (Team Coach)
2. Macdonald Oduor (Team Manager)
3. Thota Sreenivas (Match Analyst)
4. Joseph Muthike (Team Physiotherapist)
5. Joseph Asichi (Fitness Trainer)

Inconsistency and the rumoured retirement of our greatest ever player

If Kenya's recent run of form can show us anything, it has been both the best and worst of what the team is capable of. Like an Associate version of Pakistan, one day the team shows itself capable of blasting any opposition off the park, the next it appears to fall apart as it loses to a team it should on paper defeat easily or who they brushed aside a mere couple of days before. This inconsistency is frustrating for fans and must be doubly so for the team and coach who should be able to see the potential if the players were to fire on a regular basis.

There have been some fantastic individual efforts from a range of players - Rakep Patel, Alex Obanda, Steve Tikolo and David Obuya have all produced some fine innings with the bat. Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno and Hiren Varaiya likewise with the ball and the newest members of the squad, Shem Obado and Nelson Odhiambo are also showing that they may have what it takes to be key players for Kenya in the long term.

There is no doubt the potential is there, coach Eldine Baptiste just needs to find a way to get it to be realised on a regular basis.

On a separate note, let us all hope that the reported spat between Steve Tikolo and either the rest of the team or Cricket Kenya is overblown rumour. He has served Kenya too well and too long to leave the team this way. whatever happened in UAE, it is up to both sides to come to a better arrangement that this. Tikolo deserves a proper send off if he really is to retire and Cricket Kenya need his services for another year yet.

Finally, the due date for the applicatrions for CEO of Cricket Kenya has now come and passed. Hopefully there are some quality applications in there and Cricket Kenya will choose someone who will rekindle the glory that was once Kenyan cricket. Good luck to all the applicants.

4-0 series win, but the real work awaits

After starting the year off in the worst possible way with the outright loss to Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup, Kenya have bounced back in the best possible way with a convincing 4-0 win in the 20-20 tri-series with Scotland and Uganda. Given that as little as two months ago, victory in any 20-20 game looked remote indeed as Kenya hosted and lost to Uganda 3-0, the emphatic nature of the series win has got to have boosted confidence ahead of this week’s World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE.

In Kenya’s first match, Maurice Ouma won the toss and elected to field. Uganda started belligerently scoring 30 off the first 10 overs before Nehemiah Odhiambo struck and from then on, Kenya looked in control of the match. Wickets fell at regular intervals with four of the Kenyan bowlers each picking up a brace as Uganda set a target of 123/9 off their overs. Though Nehemiah Odhiambo, newly promoted to opening the bowling in the absence of Odoyo and Ongondo took the book-end wickets, it was the spin department, especially Hiren Varaiya (4-1-9-2) who really impressed.

Kenya’s run chase was lead by a new opening pair of Steve Tikolo and David Obuya and it was an experiment that proved a resounding success every time. The pair put on 66 for the first wicket (Obuya for 24), and Tikolo went on to set a new Personal Best as he marched to 63 off just 44 deliveries to bring Kenya within touching distance of victory. Maurice Ouma (2*) and Alex Obanda (31*), himself hitting a PB of his own did the rest and the 3-0 series loss in December was part way towards being avenged.

Kenya’s second match should have seen stiffer competition in the form of Scotland, but the visitors were clearly unable to reproduce their form from the Intercontinental Cup as Kenya first restricted them to 109/9 – again with the spinners doing the damage: Shem Obado impressing in his first International graded match with figures of 4-0-10-2 while jimmy Kamande picked up 3/28.

Again Tikolo (46 off 28) and David Obuya (60 off 48) opened and again, it proved to be a masterstroke from Eldine Baptise as the pair raced Kenya to a 10 wicket win inside 13 overs. If you include Obado’s figures on debut, it was Personal Bests for four of Kenya’s players.

Kenya’s third match saw them bat first for the first and only time in the tournament and with Tikolo rested, Obanda moved up the order to join David Obuya (18) as opener. It proved to be a position he enjoyed as he made a new Personal Best of 43 off 24 to set up the rest of the line up for a big total. Maurice Ouma (39) and Collins Obuya (79* off 45) duly added their names to the list of Personal record breakers as Kenya went on to set a daunting 186 – easily the biggest total of the tournament.

Credit to Uganda who stuck to their guns in the run chase and for a while looked as though they might cause an unlikely upset. Another Kenyan debutante for the series, Nelson Odhiambo proved the difference in the bowling however as he ripped through the middle of the Ugandan innings to take 4/25 including the wicket of the dangerous looking Roger Mukasa (66). Tony suji chipped in with 2/25 and Jimmy Kamande executed two brilliant run outs to ensure Kenya finished victors by 14 runs.

Kenya’s second match against Scotland was very similar in result to their first, but it was yet another personal best and astonishing bowling performance from Nehemiah Odhiambo who took 5/25 as Kenya bowled out their visitors for 123. It is only the second time a player has taken 5 wickets in a full 20-20 international and a huge achievement for the player on whose shoulders the main bowling responsibility for Kenya now rests. Nelson Odhiambo also picked up 2 wickets while suicidal run outs accounted for the rest.

Again it was the Tikolo-Obuya show in reply and the two raced neck-a-neck to their 50s. Obuya (65* off 47) won that race by just one ball, but then continued to set yet another Personal Best at this level while Tikolo’s 56* off 42 was also a new personal record as again Kenya ran out winners by 10 wickets, this time with five and a half overs to spare. Note that the matches vs. Uganda were graded Twenty20 by the ICC whereas the matches vs. Scotland were graded T20Is.

All in all, the series was a great achievement for Kenya in the warm ups to the WC Qualifiers, but it is that fact that should remain as a stark reminder that the real work is yet to be done. Kenya play Scotland again today in a final warm up in Abu Dhabi, and on this form, should win again, but it will all count for naught if they do not get through to the final two in the qualifying tournament. If the players can continue to produce Personal Bests at this rate though, that should be a distinct possibility.

Comprehensive Revenge

Kenya registered their first international win of 2010 with a comprehensive 8 wicket win over Uganda in he first 20-20 match at Nairobi Gymkhana earlier today.

Winning the toss, Maurice Ouma opted to field and was rewarded with a tidy effort from his bowlers who restricted Uganda to 123/9 in their 20 overs. Things started well enough for Uganda who raced out of the blocks at 10 an over before Nehemiah Odhiambo, who had been bearing the brunt of the onslaught had Arthur Kyobe trapped in front for 6 (Uganda 31/1). Just 2 balls later, Jimmy Kamande removed the explosive Roger Mukasa and Kenya were suddenly looking good.
From then on, it was a fairly regular procession back to the pavilion for the Ugandan batsmen as Odhiambo, Kamande, Varaiya and Obado all chipped in with 2 wickets a piece. Varaiya was Particularly impressive as he also conceded just 9 runs off his 4 overs - his second personal best in as many games. So far he is proving the form player for Kenya in 2010.

Kenya's reply saw a change in the batting line up with Steve Tikolo opening with recalled David Obuya. It proved to be a good decision as the pair raced to 66 before Obuya was out caught by Baig off Arinaitwe for 24. Tikolo continued the onslaught unfazed and was rewarded with his first international 50 at the shortest format of the game. He did later become the second and last Kenyan casualty as he finally holed out to Thawithemwira off Muhumuza, but by then he had made 63 off just 44 deliveries and Kenya were as good as home.

Maurice Ouma came in to join Alex Obanda who was en route to a personal best of his own with 31 off 24 deliveries including the winning runs which came as he dispatched Muhumuza to the boundary with 16 balls still remaining. It was a convincing and emphatic victory for a side that lost their last 20-20 series to Uganda 3-0 and will have injected some much needed confidence into the side after the recent Intercontinental Cup match to Scotland. It also indicates a vast improvement at this format which bodes well ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in February.

Kenya 127/2 (Tikolo 63, Obanda 31*)
beat
Uganda 123/9 (Baig 23, Mukasa 23, Varaiya 2/9, Kamande 2/18)
by 8 wickets

Valiant effort could not erase the debacle of Day 1

Kenya's copmetetive start to the cricketing year got off to a disasterous start as the team crumbled to 91 all out on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup match versus top of the table Scotland. Only 2 of the Kenyan batsmen Maurice Omua (20) and Collins Obuya (40) made it into double figures as the Scottish seamers ran rampant. It was a collapse that Kenya were to try valiantly to recover from throughout the rest of the match, but the damage had already been done.

Scotland's first innings produced 306 runs, but in truth the bulk of these also came from 2 batsmen: Qasim Sheikh who made 108 and Richie Berrington who contributed 80. Nehemiah Odhiambo spearheading the Kenyan attack took 3/60 and Elijah Otieno chipped in with 2/46 as Kenya toiled hard to get back into the game. Wickets from the usual areas in the spin department (Varaiya 1/38, Tikolo 1/45 and Kamande 2/31) helped the cause, but Scotland were very much in the ascendancy at the half way point with a lead of 185 over Kenya who had already lost Seren Waters not long before stumps.

Hiren Varaiya (pictured) was sent in as night watchman and played the part to perfection. Not only did he survive to stumps but batted on for the best part of day 3 as Kenya slowly but surely eroded the deficit. He faced a massive 237 balls for his career best 44 and though Collins Obuya (38) and Steve Tikolo (34) added quicker runs, it was his effort that provided the glue for Kenya's innings. Overtaking Scotland and setting a target needed someone to step up and make a big score and it was the Kenyan Captain, Maurice Ouma, who did just that making a career best 130 as Kenya set Scotland 109 to win on the final day.

Despite the 3 personal bests produced by the Kenyans in the second innings (Elijah Otieno also chipped in with 13 in a 51 run partnership with Ouma for the 8th wicket, it was never going to be enough and Scotland eased to victory with 8 wickets to spare.

Defeat is never easy to take and Kenya will certainly not be happy with allowing Scotland to take the full 20 points on Kenyan soil, but they should also take heart from how they continued to fight throughout the last 3 days. If the first innings was an illustration of all that is wrong with the Kenyan game - poor shot selection, a questionable line up and complete lack of application, the rest of the game highlighted the great spirit that this team has and produced some fine performances. Both Varaiya and Ouma played the innings of their lives to date and should gain great confidence from them. Collins Obuya showed his potential in both innings, Nehemiah Odhiambo bowled well for his 3 wickets and James Ngoche had a good spell for his maiden First Class wicket on the final day.

Question marks will remain over the team selection - Thomas Odoyo was ruled out at the time of squad selection due to injury, but was able to turn out for southern Rocks at the same time Kenya were playing Scotland. Word from Cricket Kenya is that the coach was unwilling to bank on a player that had broken down early in series before when not fully fit, but in hindsight, Kenya could have done with his talent with both bat and ball. He will surely be missed in the 20-20 World Cup Qualifiers. Peter Ongondo was also left out and while Nelson Mandela toiled hard, he perhaps looked underdone for this level of cricket. His time will come, but it does not look to be here yet.

Jimmy Kamande's spot as vice captain is also open to question as failures in both innings certainly did not help his team's cause, though as usual he bowled well. Shem Obado may well get a run in his place for the 20-20s, though who will be name vice captain is open to conjecture. James Ngoche bowled well in the second innings, but with Varaiya and Tikolo both able to offer proven spin options, perhaps an extra seam option could also have been preferred. Certainly it is odd that Luseno was included in the squad for just the Intercontinental Cup, but despite his pace, not used.

Today sees Kenya take on Uganda in the first match of the 20-20 triangular tournament and the hosts will be hoping for revenge from the 3-0 whitewash inflicted at the end of last year. Lets hope it is the 2nd innings mentality that is brought to the game, not the 1st.

More photos of the IC match will be posted on facebook shortly.

Big game for Kenya starts today

Kenya take on Scotland from today at Nairobi Gymkhana in what has become a must win match for the home side if they are to stay in contention for a finals spot come the end of the competition. Yesterday Afghanistan defeated Ireland – their first loss in the tournament since 2004 – to go top of the table with 43 points and Kenya must look to take a full 20 points to match this having already played one extra game.

Rain has hampered preparations for Maurice Ouma’s men, but they will still take the home ground advantage into the match and on balance will be the more experienced of the two sides that take the field. An exception to this, and it could be a telling one, is in the seam bowl department where for the first time in many years, Kenya will be without either Thomas Odoyo (injured) and Peter Ongondo (left out of the squad).

This leaves the seam responsibilities to Alfred Luseno, Elijah Otieno and Nehemiah Odhiambo. It is certainly an attack that has shown improvement over the last 12 months and especially since new coach Eldine Baptiste took the reigns, but will it have the experience to knock over the Scottish top order? Should they fail to do so, at least there is plenty of experience and quality in the spin attack that should feature all of Hiren Varaiya, Jimmy Kamande and Steve Tikolo, though youngster James Ngoche may also get a surprise cap.

With the bat, Kenya should have the quality to post big scores on a ground the batsmen are used to playing on. Seren Waters, David Obuya, Rakep Patel and Alex Obanda will all feel they have things to prove while Steve Tikolo has shown time and again he remains a star batsman.

Scotland come into the game with a relatively inexperienced side, several of whom have not yet played in Kenya so the home side will be hoping to turn this to their advantage and put on early pressure. While they do not have the experience, there is no doubting the quality in the Scotland camp and they too will start today looking for a win. Majid Haq, Kyle Coetzer and Qasim Sheikh are all potential match winners on their day and Scotland too have high aspirations this year in a competition they last won in 2004.

Weather permitting, it should turn out to be a great match. There has been some build up among Kenyan cricket fans and despite the match happening on work days – why they could not have scheduled the start for a Sunday, only the ICC know – there should be a few supporters at the ground to cheer their team on. Here’s hoping that 2010 gets off to a better start for Kenyan cricket the previous year…

Youngsters get the nod for IC and 20-20s

Cricket Kenya has today released the team for the upcoming Intercontinental cup clash with top-of-the-table Scotland and the 20-20 series with Scotland and Uganda that follows. While the batting line up is much to be expected, the selectors have opted to keep faith with three of the youngsters who played in the recent series vs Uganda. This means that at least one of Shem Obado, Nelson Odhiambo or James Otieno, maybe all, will get a full cap before the series is out. Strangely given the decision to go with the youth, there is no place for Lucas Oluoch who was perhaps the standout of the players that was blooded against Uganda.

There is also no place for the vastly experienced Peter Ongondo and with both Thomas Odoyo and Rageb Aga unavailable due to injury, this leaves Kenya with a very inexperienced front line attack. For the Intercontinental Cup only, Alfred Luseno is retained and will open the bowling with his extra pace with Elijah Otieno and Nehemiah Odhiambo the other likely seamers.

The top order batting line up retains the services of Seren Waters for the Intercontinental Cup, but he returns to university afterwards to make way for Tony Suji in the side – another strange selection given that the selectors are obviously choosing with one eye on the future. With Waters likely to open and Ouma (Cpt) and Steve Tikolo certainties, the other batting slots will be between David Obuya, Rakep Patel, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, and Shem Obado. The spin department must surely be lead by Hiren Varaiya while Jimmy Kamande will retain his place as Vice Captain.

The 20-20 series will likely be where the youngsters get their chances as coach Eldine Baptiste will need to do some tinkering before the team heads off for the World Cup qualifiers. All three should get a run at some stage, but may lose out if Suji is included.

This squad gives several younger players a real chance to step up and prove themselves, but the lack of experience could be costly, especially in the longer format where a player such as Ongondo would have been valuable both with the ball in hand but also as a steadying influence on the less experienced players. Elijah Otieno and Luseno will really need to bend their backs to get the early breakthrough to avoid the pressure building up. Kenyan fans will be hoping it is a gamble that pays off – it is about time Kenya started to put together a string of wins.

Full Squad:
1. Morris Ouma (Captain)
2. James Kamande (Vice Captain)
3. David Obuya
4. Rakep Patel
5. Collins Obuya
6. Stephen Tikolo
7. Hiren Varaiya
8. Nehemiah Odhiambo
9. Elijah Otieno
10. Alex Obanda
11. Seren Waters
12. Shem Obado
13. Nelson Odhiambo
14. Alfred Luseno
15. James Otieno Ngoche

Alfred Luseno and Seren Waters leave the squad for the 20-20s, Tony Suji comes in.

Kenya end year on a high

a markedly improved batting performance by Kenya in their final ODI v Uganda saw the team cruise to a massive 199 run victory to complete a 3-0 series whitewash and end the year on a high.

Maurice Ouma (72) and Seren Waters (55) opened the batting and gave Kenya an opening stand of 118 before Waters was finally trapped lbw by Henry Seyondo. Ouma then teamed up with Alex Obanda and the pair continued to attack the bowlers marching the score to 175. Obanda followed 20 runs later for a well made 57 with 10 overs to go but the platform had already been set.

David Obuya (23 off 18) and Rakep Patel (right) had both been moved down the order and responded in explosive fashion. Patel was particularly impressive smashing 71 off just 29 deliveries including 3 fours and 8 sixes! Run-a-ball cameo contributions from Nehemiah Odhiambo, Tony Suji and Elijah Otieno helped Kenya set 329/6 by the end of their 50 overs and with the bowlers so far in great form, the match already looked half won.

The first ball of Uganda's reply compounded matters for them as their best batsman of the tournament so far, Roger Mukasa, edged Odhiambo for Ouma to take the catch and give Kenya the best possible start to their defence. Akbar Baig (23) and Frank Nsubuga (43) added 75 for the second wicket taking a particular liking to Otieno, but the introduction of James Ngoche soon had both players back in the pavilion and Kenya once again looking strong.

Wickets then began to fall at regular intervals with only Benjamin Musoke (18) and Jonathan Sebanja (11) able to make it into double figures as the Kenyan bowlers continued their dominance. Hiren Varaiya (3/18 off 10) and James Ngoche (3/27 off 10) finished with the best figures, but Nehemiah Odhiambo (2/23) and Nelson Odhiambo (2/15) also contributed to an emphatic victory.

Having won the series 3-0 and with 2 huge margins in the first and last games, Kenya will feel that they have atoned for the 2-0 loss in the 20-20s. Work still remains to be done on the shorter format of the game, that is clear, but at least at ODI level, there is still some breathing space between them and their fast improving neighbour. Unless the development work by Cricket Kenya kicks up a further gear in 2010, the question will still remain for how much longer?

What is extremely positive from this series is to see the bulk of the youngsters in the team standing up and performing. Lucas Oluoch was impressive in both games he played and Rakep Patel continues to gain in confidence. Shem Obado and James Otieno Ngoche both took wickets and Nelson Odhiambo also showed an inkling of what he may be able to achieve. When he took over, coach Eldine Baptise warned the established players that there would be no sacred cows in the team, with the performances of the youngsters this series, there is certainly genuine debate now over several places in the squad and this competition can only lead to a stronger side. Questions still remain over some of the batting, but on the whole the future is beginning to look much brighter than it was a year ago.

Kenya 329/6 (Ouma 72, Patel 71, Obanda 57, Waters 55, Waiswa 2/58)
beat
Uganda 130 (Nsubuga 43, Baig 28, Varaiya 3/18, J Otieno 3/27, Nel Odhiambo 2/15, Neh Odhiambo 2/23)
by 199 runs

Kenya win series 3-0

Ladies inch closer to continental title

Kenya ladies beat Tanzania by 2 wickets to take them a step closer to an elusive continental championship with one final match against Uganda remaining between them and an historic achievement.

Tanzania won the toss and batted much better than in the teams' first meeting scoring 150/8 in their allotted overs. Khajida Nasibu (45), Asha Daudi (27) and Mwanaidi Ibrahim (23) the best performers with the bat, though once again extras contributed a significant 25 runs to the score.
Mercyline Adhiambo (3/16) and Emily Ruto (2/13) were the pick of the Kenyan bowlers with Belind Maska, Ruth Mwihaki and Margaret Banja all chipping in with a wicket a-piece.

Kenya's reply was held together largely by Perlyne Omamo whose 43 formed the backbone of the innings as Ibrahim (2/26) and Daudi (4/33) caused all sorts of trouble. Maska (20) and Mary Belle (14) were the next biggest contributors for Kenya as the match swung both ways. Once again, it was extras that hurt and the 33 runs given away by Tanzania enabled Mwihaki and Aliya Bauer to inch Kenya home with 2 wickets and 2 and a half overs remaining.

another win for the upcoming team of Kenyan cricket, but like their male counterparts, perhaps a warning against complacency would be well heeded. Kenya are now one match away from winning the continental title for the first time, but will need to pull out a better performance against Uganda today if they are to finish unbeaten and take the title they so richly deserve.

Tanzania Ladies 150/8 (Nasibu 45, Daudi 27, Adhiambo 3/16, Ruto (2/13)
lost to
Kenya Ladies 151/8 (Omamo 43, Maska 20, Daudi 4/33, Ibrahim 2/26)
by 2 wickets

2-0 but Batting problems persist

Kenya yesterday went 2-0 up in their ODI series with Uganda beating them by 1 wicket at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Winning the toss, Kenya elected to field and once again the opening attack of Alfred Luseno and Lucas Oluoch were key to Kenya gaining an early upper hand. Unlike the first game however, Uganda started brightly with Roger Mukasa (27) and Akbar Baig (18) putting on a brisk 34 before Luseno got the breakthrough clean bowling Mukasa.

Three overs later Oluoch got into the act removing number 3, Lawrence Sematimba without scoring. Baig followed shortly after trapped lbw by the left-hander and Uganda were in trouble at 3/48. A brief rally followed with Fred Isabirye (15) and Benjamin Musoke (16) adding 18 for the next wicket, but the run rate was slowing and Varaiya ended the partnership trapping Isabirye in front. Luseno picked up his second 1 run later when Henry Senyondo had his house knocked over and again Uganda were in trouble: 5/67 after 18 overs.

Musoke then found support in Arthur Ziraba (20) and Uganda recovered somewhat before Varaiya bowled Musoke (6/95). Ziraba was next back to the pavilion, run out by Jimmy Kamande (7/106) and the end was looming for the visitors. Kamande was the next to strike for Kenya as Frank Nsubuga departed lbw for 3 (8/113) but Ronald Semanda (20) stuck around long enough to help Uganda to 126 before he was last man out, bowled by Nehemiah Odhiambo who two overs earlier had run out Seiga Asadu.

All of the Kenyan bowlers impressed and while their economy rates were not quite as good as in the first ODI, Kenya would have gone into the break confident of another easy victory, especially considering the batting line up looked much stronger with the addition of Seren Waters and Alex Obanda.

If they thought it was to be a walk in the park, they were sorely disappointed as Uganda refused to go down without a fight and, just as in the first match, struck early when Waters was caught by Ziraba off the bowling of Jonathan Sebanja for a duck. David Obuya remained unfazed and appeared set on erasing his poor showing in the first game by racing to 24 off just 20 deliveries, but that was where his innings ended as he fell to Baig, caught by Nsubuga (2-30).

Rakep Patel had looked unstoppable in the first ODI, but he too fell after getting a start, lbw to Seyondo for 17 (3/56). Kenya then staged one of their by now famous collapses as alex Obanda (14), Maurice Ouma (7), Jimmy Kamande (5) and Shem Obado (0) all fell in quick succession to give Uganda the hope of victory with the score at 7/77.

Nehemiah Odhiambo (25) and Hiren Varaiya (14*) stuck to their guns however and pulled Kenya back to relative safety with a 33 run partnership before Baig had Odhiambo caught and bowled with Kenya still needing 17 for victory. When Nsubuga trapped Oluoch lbw 3 overs later, Kenya were still 11 runs short and Uganda could once again scent victory. Varaiya however stood firm with last man Luseno and it was the latter that saw Kenya home with a 4 to give the home side a nail biting victory.

At the end of the day Kenya won and take the series 2-0 with a game still to play, but this match must serve once again as a warning that Uganda are not to be taken lightly and that Kenya need to apply themselves better when at the crease. No disrespect to Uganda, but a stronger team would have made Kenya pay dearly for their mistakes. The final match of the series will be played today at Nairobi Gymkhana and Kenya need to once again win big if they want to avoid questions being asked as to why a weakened Uganda side has been so competitive against a Kenyan side that certainly looks very like it could be a future full strength side.

Uganda 126 (Mukasa 26, Semanda 21, Ziraba 20, Varaiya 2/17, Oluoch 2/24, Luseno 2/29)
lose to
Kenya 129/9 (Neh Odhiambo 25, D Obuya 24, Asadu 3/25)
by 1 wicket

Kenya lead 3 match series 2-0

Kenya Ladies end 8 year drought in style

Yesterday Kenya Ladies played a team that they had never beaten in eight years of trying and not just beat them but completely outplayed them.

Winning the toss, Uganda chose to bat but ran straight into trouble as they lost two early wickets - Anna Kisakye run out for 2 and Barbara Mukankusi bowled by Mary Belle for 4. Kenya's Ladies kept a tight line and the discipline paid off with the Ugandans frustrated at being unable to score going for more suicidal runs, chances that the Kenyans gleefully accepted. Mary Belle (3/22) continued to reap the rewards of the pressure created by Belinda Maska (8-5-4-1) as she picked up two more wickets to have Uganda well and truly on the ropes at 21/6 after 15 overs.

A rally of sorts was then carried out by Christine Aryemo (14) and Consy Aweko (13*) who added 26 for the next wicket, but the run rate was still painfully slow and Kenya still well and truly in control of the game. Again it was a run out that triggered a Ugandan collapse, though this time the bowler to benefit was Sarah Bhakita who cleaned up the tail taking 3/5 off 5.4 overs.
Uganda finished on 71 all out after 38.4 overs.

Kenya lost opener Perlyne Omamo to Stella Atim with just 4 on the board, but from then on the reply was held together by sensible batting from Margaret Banja (47*) and Mary Aimee (15*) who saw the hosts home for an historic victory.

It may have taken 8 years, but Kenya's Ladies are proving under the stewardship of Dun Okinyo and their inclusion in the NPCA leagues that they are a growing force. If there was ever a result that begged for Cricket Kenya or the NPCA to consider a second ladies team in that competition, this surely is it. Congratulations to the Kenyan ladies on such a fine milestone, may it be the first of many more!

Kenya turn tables on Uganda

Kenya yesterday displayed the dominance that was so badly lacking against the Ugandans during the 20-20 series. They not only won the first ODI but did so in emphatic fashion - first by bowling Uganda out for a mere 104 (which took 44 overs to accumulate) and then knocking off the required runs in well under 20 overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Kenya won the toss and Alfred Luseno and Lucas Oluoch (pictured right in the nets in 2008) opened the bowling giving the Ugandans a torrid time. Luseno proved virtually unplayable with the batsmen only able to score 7 runs off his 7 overs. While he did not pick up any wickets himself, good seamers hunt in pairs and the pressure certainly paid off at the other end as debutante Oluoch took the first three wickets to have Uganda reeling at 3/24 after 14 overs to finish with figures of 3/23. A fine effort for his first 50 over game in Kenyan colours.

Kenya have recently had a history of allowing teams off the hook, but yesterday was different as first Nehemiah Odhiambo (1/10 off 6) then Jimmy Kamande (1/24 off 7) and Hiren Varaiya (1/9 off 8) continued to apply the pressure. Where Oluoch had announced himself at the beginning of the innings, it was another debutante - Shem Obado who finished off the innings taking 3/10 including the wicket of Benjamin Musoke (27), the only Ugandan able to get some sort of a start.

All in all it was a fantastic effort by the bowlers and one that certainly lends support to coach Eldine Baptiste's desire to include the youngsters in the squad. Unlike the 20-20s, Kenya's batsmen were able to back up the bowlers and bar an early scare when Charles Waiswa had David Obuya trapped in front for a duck, they put the bowlers to the sword. Rakep Patel (57* off 59) moved up to open with Obuya and so narrowly beat Maurice Ouma (44* off 41) to his half century.

Kenya went on to win the match in just 17.2 overs with a score of 105/9. This is strangely one run higher than their best effort in the 20-20s, yet came from fewer overs faced. Why they were able to produce the application for this in the ODI yet fail to do so in the 20-20 is surely food for serious thought for the coach before the World Cup qualifiers in the New Year.

All in all though this was as good a performance as Kenya have produced in some time and they can go into the remaining games of the series once more confident in their ability. Fans will be hoping however that confidence does not too soon become complacency.

Big wins for both men and women v Uganda

Both Kenya Ladies and Kenya mens teams registered massive wins yesterday vs Uganda to return some pride to Kenyan cricket.

A report on the games will follow in due course.

Ladies:
Uganda 71 all out (38.4 overs)
Kenya 72/1 (26 overs)

Men:
Uganda 104 all out
Kenya 105/1

Kenya Ladies thump Tanzania in continental Championship

Great result for the Kenya Ladies team to record their second highest total along the way to giving Tanzania, the defending Champions, a belting in the opening match.
A full report can be read here.

Scorecard:

MATCH SUMMARY
MATCH:				Tanzania Women vs. Kenya Women																DATE(S):				15 Dec 2009
VENUE:				Sir Ali Muslim Club																TOSS WON BY:						Tanzania Women
CAPTAINS:					Monica Pascal															(Home)				Emily Ruto												(Opposition)
WICKETKEEPERS:								Prisca Leonard												(Home)				Maria Aimee												(Opposition)
UMPIRES:					Joshua Oyieko, Bernard Ouko															RESULT:				Kenya Women won by 93 runs
SCORERS:					Maxwell Otieno, Dun Okinyo
1ST INNINGS
BATTING TEAM:							Kenya Women																1st INNINGS
Batsman								How Out								Bowler							Runs			Mins			Balls			4's			6's			FOW
Perlyne Omamo								c Esther Wales								Khadija Nasibu							12			37			29			0			0			28 for 1
Margaret Banja								c Esther Wales								Khadija Nasibu							15			44			34			1			0			30 for 2
Maria Aimee (w)								not out															37			154			106			0			0
Belinda Maska								run out (Opponent 13)															11			36			35			0			0			52 for 3
Sarah Bhakita								c & b								Monica Pascal							39			61			57			3			0			124 for 4
Emily Ruto (c)								c Zakia Saguti								Zena Hassan							16			14			18			1			0			144 for 5
Mary Belle								c Mwanaidi Ibrahim								Monica Pascal							2			3			4			0			0			149 for 6
Mercyline Adhiambo								c Irene John								Monica Pascal							4			8			10			0			0			156 for 7
Aliya Baeur								run out (Opponent 13)															1			5			3			0			0			157 for 8
Ruth Mwihaki								not out															1			7			5			0			0
Maureen Mutunga								Did not bat															0			0			0			0			0
Extras								b:	0		lb:		2		nb:		2		w:		19		23			p:		0
																			TOTAL:				161				WKT:			8				Overs:			50.0
BATTING TEAM:							Tanzania Women																1st INNINGS
Batsman								How Out								Bowler							Runs			Mins			Balls			4's			6's			FOW
Asha Daudi								lbw								Mary Belle							5			8			11			0			0			6 for 1
Prisca Leonard (w)								run out (Player 13)															3			51			28			0			0			26 for 2
Monica Pascal (c)								c Aliya Baeur								Emily Ruto							16			42			37			1			0			31 for 3
Saida Hamisi								c Margaret Banja								Mercyline Adhiambo							1			3			4			0			0			31 for 4
Zakia Saguti								c & b								Perlyne Omamo							1			28			21			0			0			38 for 6
Khadija Nasibu								bowled								Emily Ruto							0			9			5			0			0			32 for 5
Irene John								bowled								Ruth Mwihaki							6			15			14			0			0			38 for 7
Mwanaidi Ibrahim								not out															21			37			32			1			0
Hawa Salum								bowled								Perlyne Omamo							0			3			5			0			0			39 for 8
Zena Hassan								c Sarah Bhakita								Perlyne Omamo							0			12			7			0			0			53 for 9
Esther Wales								st Maria Aimee								Sarah Bhakita							0			12			12			0			0			68 for 10
Extras								b:	0		lb:		0		nb:		0		w:		15		15			p:		0
																			TOTAL:				68				WKT:			10				Overs:			29.0
BOWLING TEAM:							Tanzania Women												1ST INNINGS		BOWLING TEAM:							Kenya Women												1ST INNINGS
Bowler								O		M		R		Wk		NB		Wd			Bowler								O		M		R		Wk		NB		Wd
Mwanaidi Ibrahim								10.0		1		26		0		0		2			Mary Belle								5.0		0		15		1		0		2
Khadija Nasibu								8.3		2		22		2		1		2			Belinda Maska								4.0		1		3		0		0		1
Hawa Salum								6.0		0		22		0		0		5			Mercyline Adhiambo								5.0		4		3		1		0		0
Zena Hassan								10.0		0		31		1		0		2			Margaret Banja								1.0		0		5		0		0		2
Esther Wales								3.0		0		14		0		0		0			Emily Ruto								4.0		0		12		2		0		1
Monica Pascal								9.0		0		25		3		0		3			Perlyne Omamo								5.0		1		14		3		0		5
Saida Hamisi								3.0		0		19		0		1		0			Ruth Mwihaki								3.0		1		10		1		0		0
																					Sarah Bhakita								2.0		0		6		1		0		4

Second Uganda win gives them series 2-0

For Kenyan fans hoping that their side would bounce back from an embarrassing first up loss to Uganda, the second 20-20 match held yesterday proved to be a disappointment.

Once again Kenya batted first and again Uganda made Early inroads as Maurice Ouma and Rakep Patel were both dismissed cheaply in the first 3 overs. David Obuya (37 off 23) provided some impetus but his wicket sparked an all too familiar collapse. His efforts were also let down by the rest of the top order who amassed a mere 11 runs between them.

A late rally by Nehemiah Odhiambo (22) and Hiren Varaiya (14) helped Kenya to a better total than in the first game, but 104 is still too small a target for a team that has aspirations on qualifying for the 20-20 World Cup. 3 run outs did nothing to help the cause.

Uganda's run chase was once again sparked by opener Roger Mukasa who made 23 off 27 and though captain Akbar Baig was run out with the score on 11 and pinch hitter Lawrence Sematimba failed, Ivan Thowithemwira (30 off 27) continued the good work finding support in Arthur Ziraba (21).

Jimmy Kamande rallied the Kenyans taking 3 for 20 and Lucas Oluoch impressed with this economy rate, but in truth the bowlers were defending too small a total for this format of the game. Uganda made it home just in the last over with Seiga Asadu finishing in style with a six to win the match with 2 balls and 2 wickets to spare.

Another great win for Uganda who now certainly seem to have overtaken Kenya at the shortest format of the game. Kenya for their part will be frustrated to have let this one slip away and will want to reverse the results in the upcoming ODI series. Considering that both teams had some big guns missing, there may be some excuses made, but bottom line is that Uganda proved the better team in both these games and that is something that must send chills down any Kenyan's back who cares for cricket in the country.

For Uganda's part, these wins are a huge testament to efforts they have put in to improve their game. Kenya would do well to take some leaves out of their book. The ICC meanwhile should take note of these results and consider expanding future 20-20 World Cup qualifiers to include more teams - their potential can no longer be denied.

Kenya 104/7 (D Obuya 37, Neh Odhiambo 22)
Lost to
Uganda 109/8 (Thowithemwira 30, Mukasa 23, Kamande 3/20)