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.

Swamibapa consolidate with win over Simba Union

Swamibapa Cricket Club (18 points) outclassed Simba Union(nil point) by 9 wickets yesterday at Premier Club in the ongoing NPCA Super League to consolidate their position at the top of the table. The match which was reduced to 35 overs due to heavy overnight rains was umpired by Subhash modi and Shanti Patel.

Swamibapa Captain Morris Ouma won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that paid dividends as they bowled out Simba Union for only 86 runs in 23.3 overs thanks to fine bowling performances by Elijah Otieno (pictured right in action V Ireland) who took 4 wickets for 19 runs, Nehemaiah Odhiambo (3/17), and James Otieno (3/28).
Simba Union's top scorers were Vijay Jotangia with impressive 28 and Sukbinder Sigh 14.

Swamibapa's opening batsmen Morris Ouma(43 not Out) and francis Otieno(31) put on the match winning first wicket partnership of 84 runs. Swamibapa scored the required runs - 88 for the loss of one wicket.

An incident free match was watched by Kenya's New Cricket Coach,Eldine Baptiste, CEO of Cricket Kenya Tom Tikolo, NPCA Secretary John Moyi and IT Manager of CK(Analysist) Tota Srinivas along other cricketers. Premier Club Groundsmen must be given credit for their hard work by ensuring the game takes place despite wet patches on the pitch and square early in the day.

We are still waiting to hear further results and will update accordingly.

Kenyan win dedicated to Rakep Patel's father

While Kenya's players were quick to celebrate their epic victory over Canada in the Intercontinental Cup they were quicker still to dedicate their voctory to the memory of their team mate's late father. Maurice Ouma, Kenyan Captain put it best in a comment on facebook:

"My first win as captain. The win in the Intercontinental Cup is dedicated to my team mate's dad. Rakep Patel, God be with you in this trying moments and may he bless you and keep you strong."

Other players have expressed similar sentiments and the solidarity of the team in such a tough time has shown through as well as their cricket which was for the most part exceptional.

Right from winning the toss, something Ouma is already becoming a master at, Kenya looked to take charge of the match, though they required the brilliance of Steve Tikolo to get them there.
While other batsmen got starts and then got out in Kenya's first innings, Tikolo was back to his best showing plenty of disdain for Canada's bowlers who found themselves despatched to all parts of the ground. Despite no one else making a half Century, Tikolo's stand was enough to carry Kenya over the 300 mark and give the bowlers plenty of opportunity to do their bit. While they did not make big scores, it should be noted that both Ouma, Alex Obanda and vice-captain, Jimmy Kamande did contribute by way of decent partnerships with Tikolo, something perhaps lost on those who just perused the scorecard at the end of the day's play. Without them there, Tikolo would not have been able to dominate to nearly such a great extent.

Canada's first innings got off to a shaky start due to some excellent new ball bowling from Thomas Odoyo and Nehemiah Odhiambo who both picked up wickets before the close of play on day 1 to leave Canada in trouble at 14-2. Odhiambo, who carried his domestic form into this game, was in particular used well by Ouma who brought him on to break partnerships on several occasions through the game. Picking up 5 wickets for the match he was the most incicive of Kenya's seamers, but Odoyo could feel unlucky for not taking more as he repeatedly beat the bat and tied the Canadian batsmen in Knots. Not content to dominate with the bat, Tikolo added 2 wickets to his match effort along side left arm spinner Hiren Varaiya. 2 players who should also be commended though they did not figure largely in the wicket tallies were Peter Ongondo and Jimmy Kamande. Their spell after tea on day 2 was particularly impressive as they prevented the Canadians from scoring for 9 consecutive overs before the pressure finally told and Ongondo picked up what was to prove his only wicket of the match.

Unlike Canada, Kenya's openers survived their few remaining overs before stumps and Kenya were looking good going into day 3. A brief fightback the following morning saw David Obuya and Alex Obanda quickly back to the pavillion, but that only brought back Tikolo to the crease to join teenage opener Seren Waters. In a partnership not seen by a Kenyan pair for far too long they first rode their luck (both being dropped before they reached their 50s) and then made the hosts pay as they added 330 runs for the third wicket. Tikolo eventually fell for 169, his second 150+ score of the match, the wicket prompting Ouma to declare and once again give the Canadians a horror few overs to face before stumps.

As in their first innings, Odoyo struck early and when the spin of Hiren Varaiya accounted for Jyoti with the score on 56, Canada knew they were going to need to bat well on the final day to hold out for a draw. It was not to be. Once again it was Odoyo that got the early breakthrough on the final morning, but then began the Varaiya show. The left arm spinner has always enjoyed bowling against the Canadians and scythed through their middle order and tail to finish with career best figures of 6-45. Again Odhiambo provided the perfect foil picking up 2 wickets of his own, but it was the spin and flight of varaiya that really had the Canadians bamboozled. In the end only the weather could have saved them as a thunder storm threatened to snatch victory from under Kenyan noses, but in the end even that could not come quick enough to deny Ouma his maiden win as Kenya Captain.

With the spirit shown in Ireland and the new vigour and enthusiasm he has instilled in the team, it should be the first of many. Kenya, who thanks to this result are now top of the Intercontinental Cup table, will now look to tomorrow's first ODI to underline their dominance and continue their resurgence.

Man of the match is hardly up for debate, but there is a poll available for you to let us know who you think deserves points for towards the Player of the Year award. Due to Tikolo's efforts, this poll will allow multiple votes so we can determine who you want to be awarded the minor points.

Duncan Allen hits first double-ton of 2009 season

Initial scores from NPCA 50 Over League week 4:

Stray Lions(18 points) beat Telca(1 point) by seven wickets at Ngara Sports Club to-day(Sunday) in the NPCA Super League Match which was officiated by Subhash Modi ad Lalji Bhudia.

Thomas Odoyo, Captain of Telca won the toss and decided to bat first but were soon in deep waters against the tight bowling of Darshit Shah (1/18), Andrew Mboya (3/33), Hiren Varaiya (3/26) and Captain Jimmy Kamande (3/26).
Top scorers for Telca were Vikram Thampy 21, Newton Muthee 21 and Thomas Odoyo 19.Alex Obanda made 8 while Stray Lions donated 26 extras to the score.

Stray Lions managed the required runs 140 for the loss of 3 wickets in just 22.2 overs thanks to the brilliant batting of David Obuya 63, Collins Obuya 31 not out and Steve Tikolo 13 including a towering six over the sight screeen which landed in the residence area and the ball was lost. Vikram Thampy bowled well to capture two wickets for 49 runs.

The highlight of the match was a brilliant catch of Alex Obanda taken just inside the boundary line by Malhar Patel off the bowling of Darshit Shah and Thomas Odoyo was brillintly caught by Steve Tikolo of the bowling of Hiren Varaiya. Both David and Collins batted superbly for Stray Lions.

The match was played in excellent spirit and it was an incident free.

Brief scores:

Telca all out for 139 in 37 overs. Telca Batting: Newton Muthee - 21, Vikram Thampy - 21, Thomas Odoyo - 19, Straylions Bowling: Andrew Mboya - 3/33, Hiren Varaiya - 3/27, Jimmy Kamande - 3/27 and Darshit Shah - 1/18

Straylions 140 runs in 22.2 for the loss of 3 wickets. Straylions Batting: David Obuya - 63, Peter Kituku - 8, Steve Tikolo - 19, Collins Obuya - 31 not out and Jimmy Kamande - 12 not out.
Telca Bowling: Vikram Thampy took 2/49 and Alfred Luseno got 1 wicket

Straylions A won by 7 wickets.

Scores - Thota Sreenivas

Swamipaba notched up another win scoring 352 vs Sir Ali with Maurice Ouma showing great form before the Canada tour with 178. James Otieno also impressed with 53 not out while Nehemiah Odhiambo again turned in a top class all round effort scoring 48 and leading the Swamibapa bowling attack taking 6 wkts for 43 off 9 overs.

Report - Peter Ongondo

In Kanbis A's match against Simba Union 'A' Lucas Oluoch made 75* and Karan Kaul 69* for Simba, though Kanbis went on to win the match by 4 wickets thanks to Rajesh Varsani (84) and Arvind Halai (66).

report - Karan Kaul

In the other match in Super Division Kanbis B defeated SCLYL A by 74 runs thanks to a century from Jadavji Jesani

Meanwhile in Division 1 Kongonis annhialated the Nairobi Jaffery bowlers scoring a massive 403! Jaffereys managed only 219 in reply. Duncan Allen lead the way for Kongonis with an unbeaten 203 - so far the first double century of this season and his second 100+ innings. Richard Collins chipped in with 76, Chris Childs made 48 and Adrian Zagaritis 57 not out.

Report - Dominic Wesonga

Swamibapa edge Kanbis as bowlers dominate Super Division contest

Swamibapa Cricket Club A Team (16 points) edged Kanbis Sports Club A Team (4 points) by 15 runs in a nail biting finish at Premier Club yesterday in a top of the table clas umpired by by Subhash Modi and Rockie Demello.

Swamibapa Cricket Club won the toss and elected to bat first, but only managed to score 161 runs, all out in 43 overs. The top scorers for Swamibapa were Maurice Ouma (53), Shem Obado (34) and Peter Ongondo (28). Pick of the bowlers for Kanbis were Harish Jesani who took 3/27, Nilesh Varsani (2/25) and Rajesh Varsani who finished up with a very tidy 2/5.

Having done the hard work with the ball, Kanbis should have put Swamibapa to bed, but an inspired effort in the field saw them for just 146 in 41 overs - 15 runs shy of Swamibapa's total.

Rakep Patel (57) pictured followed up his century from last week well but other than Arvind Halai (30) who also batted well for Kanbis, did not receive the support needed against an attack boasting 7 seamers. Bowling honours were shared by Swamibapa with Elijah Otien0 (3/29) picking up the most wickets, though Lameck Onyango (2/21), Peter Ongondo (2/19), and Joseph Angra (1 wicket for 1 run) all impressed.

This win puts Swamibapa in a commanding position at the top of the table as Stray Lions did not play this weekend. It is still early in the season and Kanbis are not the sort of team to just fade quietly into the sunset, but just maybe will this be Swamibapa's year?

Odhiambo again the man for Swamibapa

Super League:

Nehemiah Odhiambo turned in another fine all round performance as Swamibapa trounced Simba Union by 228 runs in their second convincing win of the NPCA season. Batting first, Swamibapa scored an imposing 358 with several batsmen chipping in with Half Centuries: Maurice Ouma 62, Nehemiah Odiambo 66 and Tony Suji 67 while Mitesh Sangani top scored with 80. Odhiambo then took 3 for15, Shem Obado 3 for 13 and Elijah Otieno 2 for 19 as Simba Union were bundled out for 130, only Runish Shah (51) making an impression with the bat. Shah earlier stood out with the ball for Simba picking up 3-69.

Report – Joseph Angara

Stray Lions(18 points) captained by Jimmy Kamande registered their second win this season when they beat Sir Ali Sports Club by nine wickets at the Peponi School Ground on Sunday in their NPCA Super League match which was umpired by Subhash Modi and Daniel Macdonald.

Sir Ali Sports Club won the toss and elected to bat first and were soon in trouble against the tight bowling of Darshit Shah (4-22) and Hiren Varaiya (4-24). Sir Ali Sports Club were bowled out for 94 runs in 35.3 overs. Their top scorers were Faraz Bhutt 37 and Aslam 14.

Stray Lions did not have much problem in scoring the required runs - 98 for 1 wicket in 11.5 overs thanks mainly to David Obuya 34, Jimmy Kamande 31 Not Out and Peter Kituku 23 not out.

Rakep Patel meanwhile showed why he should be given more responsibility for the National Team as he stroked a chanceless 138 in the battle between the two Kanbis sides, the only century of the round. Kanbis A went on to win by 48 runs, Rajesh Bhudia also chipping in with 60 runs.

Telca recorded their first win of the season as they coasted to a 193 run thumping of Sir Ali. Thomas Odoyo (60) and Newton Muthee (59) were the stars with the bat while Alfred Luseno took 4-16 and Vikram Thampy 3-27 in an easy run in the field.

Division 1:

Kongonis Development side turned around their first week loss with a solid 69 run win over Ruaraka. Batting first, Kongonis made 246 with the main contributors being William Rudd (76), Chris Childs (49), Duncan Allen (21), dominic Wesonga (19) and Hugo Norman (18). Manoj (A...?) 3-30 and Aashit (...?) 3-38 were the best bowlers for Ruaraka. In restricting Ruaraka to 177, Allen was the pick taking 3 for 35 off 9 while Bernard (O...?) took 3 for 42 off 9.3 and Wesonga was most economical with 2 for 20 off 10.Luv Hirani top scored for Ruaraka with 40.

Report – Dominic Wesonga

Division 2:

Golden XI won yesterday against Sir Ali 'B'. Sir Ali won the toss and elected to bat, they scored 132 all out with Tariq top scoring on 25. in reply Golden X1 easily reached the target with some aggressive play from the opening batsmen Mitesh(24) and Kamlesh(29)

Report - Charles Kariuki

The Ladies XI cricket side lost their opening match of the season by 143 runs to Aaryans on Sunday. But despite the loss the girls put a spirited fight to resctrict the hosts to 220 despite being on 76 for 0 at one stage. Ruth Mwihaki stared with 4 wickets. But the batting was the let down once again. Hope we will see improvement in the next match when they face Ruaraka. Report - Dun Okinyo

Keep the results coming in please, we will update as we can - Full results are out and will follow in a separate post

More Plotiking from the Nation

Regular reader 'Topspinner' writes:

Ref: Search for new coach (Nation, July 13, author Richard Mwangi)

The political agenda still seems to run with Mwangi; and I tell you, it rankles! In an otherwise quite fair (for him) report, he refers to a ‘whitewash’ in Dublin. It was not a ‘whitewash’; Kenya lost 0-3, but twice this was due to the vagaries of the Duckworth/Lewis method. The scores were as follows (because The Nation never saw fit to record them): 1. Kenya 214 (50 overs), Ireland 215 for 7 (48.5); 2. Kenya 175 (45.1), Ireland 104 for 1 (21) – lost by 57 runs under D/L; 3. Ireland 256 for 7 (50), Kenya 240 for 6 (46) – lost by four runs (D/L). Any study of this shows that the last result, in particular, was very unfair under the D/L method. Kenya finished only 16 runs behind and yet, under normal rules, would have had another 24 balls to get 17 to win! As it was, Collins Obuya needed to score a six off the last ball, which he failed to do. And it needs to be emphasised that, under Morris Ouma (capt) and Jimmy Kamande (v-capt) – nice Luo/Kikuyu combination – Kenya played pretty well in the four-day game at Eglinton, were well managed and, indeed, appeared well coached whatever the Jasmir Singh report may say. This team has got a nice balance and, after years in the doldrums, looks like it has the potential to go places, as long as it watches out for Uganda coming up on the rails! Let’s hope also that Zimbabwe put out a proper side. As kenyacricket.com says, it would be fruitless if Zimbabwe were merely to use Intercontinental Cup matches as a ratchet to get back into the mainstream of cricket. We would in that case be better off playing Namibia and UAE.

GAME COULD BE KENYA'S - IF THEY TAKE THEIR CHANCES

My apologies for the lateness of this post. Topspinner writes from Eglinton with the report from day 3 of Kenya's Intercontinental Cup match vs Ireland:

THE game was on a knife-edge as play began today on the final day of the Intercontinental Cup match between Ireland and Kenya at Eglinton, Northern Ireland.

Ireland yesterday (Sun) seized six points through a first innings lead of 73 after Kenya's last four wickets added 92 to their Saturday overnight score of 239 for 6, thereby avoiding the follow-on.
Vice-captain Jimmy Kamande batted sensibly to make 73 and some lusty blows allowed Peter Ongondo to register a valuable 24 not out. Former vice-captain Thomas Odoyo made 46 well-worked runs before a blow to the elbow pulled him up short, while Nehemiah Odhiambo made 14 and Elijah Otieno was out for two.

Kenya appeared pleased to have restricted Ireland to a 73-run lead in this high-scoring match and this showed, particularly in the six overs they bowled up to lunch. Odoyo and Ondongo both showed venom, but it was former captain Steve Tikolo who snapped up first innings century-maker Paul Stirling for six just before the break, to have Ireland in some jitters on 6 for 1 off six overs at lunch. These jitters continued afterwards and from 25 overs Ireland appeared to be in some trouble at 45 for 3.

But then a series of catches went down - two difficult, two less so - and had it not been for a sharp take behind by captain and wicketkeeper Morris Ouma off Odhiambo on 89 to get rid of the dangerous kevin O'Brien for 21 the match would certainly have been running away from Kenya. As it was, a further 50 without loss were added to the Ireland total, with a half-century from Alex Cusack, before stumps, leaving Ireland 212 ahead.

Ireland go into today's final day feelimng they can win; but this newly-led and invigorated Kenya side is full of spirit and they know that, if they can bag a couple of early wickets, the game could be theirs.
'Topspinner'.

Photo - Maurice Ouma seems to be making a good start as Kenyan Captain. courtesy of Cricket Europe

Tikolo leads Kenyan fightback after Irish Onslaught

Steve Tikolo (right) the ex-Skipper and veteran of Kenya's team yesterday proved once again his value to the team as he helped Kenya recover from what seemed like a disasterous start to his successor's first game in charge. Losing the toss, Kenya were asked to bowl and though Peter Ongondo was his usual miserly self, Kenya's seamers simply were unable to induce the Irish openers Paul Stirling and Jeremy Bray to play enough to look dangerous. Content to wait for the bad balls, the pair put on a mammoth 182 before Bray (89) finally edged a Nehemiah Odhiambo delivery to Tikolo to give Kenya a glimmer of hope. Earlier, both the 18 year old Stirling and Bray had both brought up fine 50s as they set about building what looked to be the platform for a huge first innings total.

With tea taken for 197-1, it was definitely the Irish in the ascendency and the hosts continued to pile on the pressure with Stirling bringing up his maiden First Class century with a six of Ongondo. It was the Kenyan seamer who had the final say of the contest however as four balls later he induced the nick from Stirling for Ouma to pouch his first catch as skipper. Alex Cusack and Andre Botha added a further 46 runs before Tikolo started a run that could just have brought Kenya back into the contest.

Botha was the first to fall finding Seren Waters at midwicket and Kevin O'Brien followed first ball giving Tikolo a return catch. Andrew White was the next to depart in the most unusual of circumstances as the ball rebounded of the short leg fielder for Ouma to complete the catch. Tikolo then bowled Gary Wilson with the score on 313 and then to complete his 5-for had the dangerman Cusack popping one up for Collins Obuya to catch at short leg in the final over of play. Ireland closed the day on 323-7 with the game still up for grabs. Given the score at tea, Kenya will be very happy with how their final two sessions went and will be looking to mop up the Irish tail quickly today so they can take their turn at the crease. After their comeback yesterday, it is vital that they do this to return the pressure to Ireland.

Tikolo's figures of 5-67 are particularly impressive and give him yet another career best. There must be concern though that the 20 overs he bowled may take a toll on the 38 year old's batting.
Kenya have selceted a deep batting line up and they will need to apply themselves in the same manner as the Irish openers if they are going to reap any rewards from the first innings. Having had little competetive practice, the top order especially will need to be at their most vigilant to keep out the Irish attack. If they can do so and if the bowlers complete their job this morning, then there could yet be light at the end of the tunnel for Kenya.

picture taken WCL 2007 copyright Kenya cricket.com

Maurice Ouma is Kenya's new Captain

Cricket Kenya have today released the squad to travel to Ireland along with the new appointments for Captain and Vice Captain. In a move that was guessed at by only 2% of the readership of this blog, Kenya's new Captain will be Maurice Ouma (Right) with Jimmy Kamande acting as Vice Captain. It is a bold decision by Kenya's selectors and is certainly made with an eye on the future as both players are likely to be around for a long time yet.

There is only one change to the rest of the 15 man squad with Rajesh Bhudia making way for the in-form David Obuya to return to national colours. Ragheb Aga, who has been in fine wicket taking form and Peter Kituku are the two other players who could count themselves unlucky to have missed out. Aside from the captaincy, this is a squad that contains few surprises. David Obuya brings much needed depth to the batting while the recent form of Lameck Onyango (Ngoche) allows the selectors to sacrifice a bowler in order to do this. As announced earlier, Andy Kirsten will travel as coach for the Intercontinental Cup tie and the one day series which will consist of three games rather than two as initially thought.

Full squad:

1. Morris Ouma (Captain)
2. Jimmy Kamande (Vice Captain)
3. Kennedy Obuya
4. Alex Obanda
5. Steve Tikolo
6. Collins Obuya
7. Thomas Odoyo
8. Nehemiah Odhiambo
9. Lameck Ngoche
10. Peter Ongondo
11. Hiren Varaiya
12. Rakep Patel
13. Elijah Otieno
14. Seren Waters
15. David Obuya

Further comment to follow shortly.

Photo courtesy of Joseph Mutisya.

Five Shortlisted for Captaincy

Also according to cricinfo's source close to the selection process, the search for Kenya's next captain has been narrowed to 5 with the decision expected to be made within the week after each candidate has had an interview with the selection panel.

There are no real surprises in the five names put forward. All are seen as key players for the current team and all have a decent level of experience to draw on. In alphabetical order of first name, they are:
Collins Obuya (27), Hiren Varaiya (25), Jimmy Kamande (30), Maurice Ouma (26) and Thomas Odoyo (31).

When Steve Tikolo announced his retirement, I ran a post having a look at some of the candidates I thought might make it. for those that missed it here are my thoughts on the final 5 in the order I think most likely to be given the duty:

1. Thomas Odoyo. As both the longest continuing servant of Kenyan cricket after Tikolo and the team's current Vice Captain, Odoyo has to be the favourite to take over the mantle. In his favour are his experience, his ability to lead from the front with both bat and ball and his natural leadership ability. There has been a recent problem with injuries however and the load of captaincy on top of his other duties may be considered too great - there are not many genuine all rounders who have also made great captains. Despite this and the recent slump in form, he is still the most likely to succeed Tikolo. At 31 probably still has about 4 years of service left and will certainly still be there for the World Cup.

2. Jimmy Kamande. Also an all rounder, Kamande is less of a key player than Odoyo, so the strain would be less. He has experience of captaincy at both club and Elite League and has a tendency to show a more attacking streak that Tikolo does. At 30, he has probably about the same time left as Odoyo, but is less beset by injuries and has really grown as a player in the last 12 months during which he has often been the player standing up to save the team. If not selected as Captain, would probably make a very good understudy and will probably be needed as such if Odoyo is made captain and misses games due to injury.

3. Collins Obuya. After Tikolo, perhaps the most sensible of Kenya's batsmen in recent times and at 27 looks to have more time left in the game than the 2 previous possibles. Like Kamande a great fielder and will set a good example in both innings. One of the other players who is really showing consistent signs of improvement at the moment. His biggest asset though would probably be his age and the fact that having burst onto the scene in the 2003 World Cup, he will know how do deal with the media and pressures that come with the profile.

4. Hiren Varaiya. Of all the bowlers, it has been said that spinners are most likely to make the best captains as they rely on intellect and guile to get their opponents out. Varaiya is certainly a quality spinner and has an understanding of the game that could see him develop into a fine captain. Unlike the other candidates however, he is not a key figure with the bat and in a time when Kenya desperately needs someone to lead from the front in this department, it may be a case of the wrong timing. If not chosen as Captain, would certainly make a fine understudy as he has the determination and toughness that is needed in a leadership role. As the youngest of the candidates, he may yet get his opportunity if he misses out this time round.

5. Maurice Ouma. For my mind the dark horse of the 5, despite being of an age that would be perfect. As his nickname (Pagal) suggests, Ouma's great talent has at times in the past been undone by a reckless streak. In the field, he is tidy behind the stumps and like all wicket keepers possesses not only a good understanding of what is going on around him, but would be in the perfect position to asses how each bowler is faring on a ball by ball basis. With the bat, there are still too many starts that are not carried into big figures and his propensity to be involved in runouts hints at a lack of communication. The above being said, he is held in high regard by his fellow players and this could be the responsibility that turns a good player into a great one.

The above is just my opinion. There is a poll on the right for you to let us know who you think should lead Kenya to the next World Cup and beyond and you can always have your say on our discussion page on facebook.

A poor way to lose

Again, there is a match report on CricketEurope Kenya, so I won't repeat myself (scorecard), but there are some areas that were of real concern for Kenya in the loss to New Zealand.
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Some of these were things that are to be expected when an Associate team plays a Full member, but there were several where we were our own worst enemy. For Kenya to beat a Test team, we need them to play below themselves and we need to play above ourselves. Unfortunately, against New Zealand, the opposite happened. The Kiwis were on fire and we were ordinary.
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In the fielding, a discipline that Kenya are normally strong in, there was a definite slackness. Several misfields allowed extra runs to be taken and catches were put down as well. True, they were not all easy, but in international cricket if a player gets his hand to a ball in the air, it is deemed a chance. The adage 'catches win matches' did not spring up for no reason and had they been held, New Zealand would have scored considerably less runs.
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Our bowlers, who had been so sharp and accurate against Canada, found it difficult to keep to a line and length that troubled the opposition. Thomas Odoyo is perhaps the exception here, especially his first spell which had the opposition openers in no small trouble. On the whole though, New Zealand's job was made easier by bowling that strayed off the line and often pitched too short allowing the big pull shots. New Zealand hit 12 sixes of which at least half would not have been possible had the bowling been a fuller length. Bowling short to Test quality batsmen who are used to facing real express bowlers is asking for trouble. Kenya's strengths in bowling are the accuracy of our bowlers, not our speed and we need to play to those strengths. If we can get it right, and we showed we can against Canada and if the fielders back it up as again we have seen them do before, there is no reason we cannot frustrate the opposition into mistakes.
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Extras are another thing we have to cut out. The bowler's must keep their front foot behind the line and have to refrain from sprays down leg. Ouma behind the stumps also needs to brush up on his glove work, but to be fair, should not have to expect the ball in that area. 26 wides and no balls is simply way too many against any side, and a Full member is going to tear you apart if you give them that many free runs. Not to mention the extra balls new Zealand got to face.
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Batting also was a worry. Not so much how we handled the extra pace - that is something only experience can help with, but how we ran between the wickets and gave them away. Maurice Ouma's stroll down the wicket for an easy single was plain and simply, lazy cricket. From a school level one of the things a cricketer is taught is to run the first single hard. It doesn't matter if there seems to be plenty of time or not. Firstly, there is always the possibility of a second if there is a fumble, but more importantly, while you are out of your crease, you are in danger. At international level, there are so many top fielder who can throw down the stumps from almost anywhere on the park, it is criminal to give them that chance unless it is in the dying overs and quick singles are at a premium.
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Collins Obuya's run out was again poor cricket. Running as a pair requires communication and calling between the batsmen. This did not happen, and a partnership that looked as though it could be quite fruitful came to a needless end. Lameck Onyango was found guilty by the same method as Ouma, and several others were nearly caught out this way as well. At the top level, batsmen need to be as sharp as the fielder, otherwise they will be run out. Chasing a large total against better bowling was always going to be hard. Losing unnecessary wickets made it an impossibility. This must be sorted out before Saturday and England.
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Tirade over, there were some bright spots. Odoyo bowled well for the most part and should be congratulated on his 100th ODI wicket. He is now the first player outside the Test teams to have 100 wickets and 1500 runs. Tanmay Mishra fielded well as usual. He did drop the one catch, but it would have been a blinder had he held it, and on the whole looked sharp. Collins Obuya's attitude both fielding and batting was aggressive and we need that if we are to cause an upset. Ravindu shah rode his kuck a bit, but that is what cricket is about, and he played some fantastic shots for his second highest score in ODIs - he also passed the mini-milestone of 1500 runs. If the rest of the batsmen can build around him, there is the possibility of a decent score against any team.
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all in all, it was a disappointing performance, but as Steve Tikolo himself acknowledges, the team know they can do better. Do they have a chance of an upset against England? It depends which Kenya turn up on the day. If it is the team that played Canada, I believe we could give anyone trouble. If it the team that played New Zealand, we would struggle against the Associates even. Let's hope the yips are out of the way and it the team play to their potential.