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.

Help Choose Kenya Cricket.com's International Player of the Year 2009

In 2009 we will again be presenting a player with our International Player Of The Year award. With renewed contact with both players and fellow journalists, this is how the award will be decided in 2009:

After each International match individuals from 3 panels will each allocate points based on who they thought performed best in the match: 3 for the best performance, 2 for the next best and 1 for the third best.

The 3 panels will be:
1) Fans - taken from a poll on the website
2) Journalists - Nick Deverell, Ben Trotter, Rachel Musyoka, Dun Okinyo, Kimemia Maina.
3) Players - Kenya Captain Maurice Ouma, Kenya Vice-Captain Jimmy Kamande, Kenya Under 19 Captain Karan Kaul, Ex-International Joseph Angara and Kanbis Sports Secretary Kanti Rabadia.

Totals will then be taken from each panel to give a new tally for the collective votes from that panel so each panel will produce 3 players with 3,2,1 points. Points from the separate panels will then be added together and a final allocation of points on the 3,2,1 basis will be allocated for the match. i.e every match will only produce 3 players with points by the end of the process. The player with the most points at the end of the year wins the award and the prestige that I hope will go with it.

Past winners are:
2006 - Steve Tikolo
2007 - Thomas Odoyo (pictured above with his award. copyright Kenya Cricket.com)
2008 - not awarded

The more fans that vote, the fairer the outcome from the fan's poll will be. For a player to be eligible for votes they must take 3 or more wkts in an innings or 4 or more for an IC match, or score a half century or better. In the event none of these happen, the best 5 performers will be selected - 5 will always be the minumum number of options. Voting is now open for the Intercontinental Cup match vs Ireland, so get voting and help us choose the 2009 Player of the Year!

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

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.