Kenya vs. Zimbabwe Decider Washed Out

I hate being the bearer of bad news, but following the pitch inspection at 10:00 local time in Harare, the 5th and deciding ODI between Kenya and Zimbabwe has been abandoned, no result. This is very bad news for everyone involved with this series. Zimbabwe miss the chance to reaffirm their place above Kenya, and Kenya miss the chance to register their first ever series win, and also to overtake them on the ICC rankings. At the end of the series, Zimbabwe have 42 points, Kenya 37. This is a lot better than the 18 we went in with, but it is disappointing not to have the chance to overtake them in this series. Kenya do of course have 4 matches coming up against Bangladesh, so there is still chances to be had, but that will be a tough tour. For now, it will be a quick return to Nairobi, maybe a short time with families, then back into training again before jetting off to Dhaka to do battle with Bangladesh. There have been highs and lows on this tour, and I will post my two bits in the next day or so. For now, congratulations to the team for the two won matches, commiserations for the two lost, and a safe journey home.

Lottery to Fund Kenyan Sport

While we wait for news on whether the 5th ODI is going to start, I thought that a brief comment on this story in the Standard about President Kibaki proposing a Lottery to fund Kenyan sport. In some ways, this is great news - look at how sport in the UK has benefitted from their National Lottery. At the very bottom line, anything that generates income for sport in Kenya and so help raise the standards of facilities and training is to be encouraged. Cricket Kenya needs to make sure that, should this initiative go ahead, cricket will recieve its fair share.

Lotteries however, are an unpleasant way of making money, and in a country such as Kenya, I wonder whether the wanainchi who end up shelling out for the lotto tickets will actually benefit. Odds of winning money in a lottery are pretty slim - my mate Steve refers to them as a 'tax on stupid people', and yes, I do pay my tax. The difference is that I know the odds, and am prepared to spend the occasional fiver for the thrill of being 'in with a shout'. Last time I was back in Kenya, I was peturbed by the belief expressed to me by several people, that so long as they kept entering a lottery, it would only be a matter of time before they won big. A lottery to fund national sport is great, but it must be made clear to the punters exactly what their chances of winning are, or should I say aren't? Winning the World Cup funded by money from our countrymen who are starving because they spent their earnings on lotto would leave a pretty bitter taste in the mouth.

Kenya vs Zimbabwe 5th ODI - Delayed due to rain

New day, same story. Again the start of the match is delayed due to rain, so we will have shortened innings should the game actually get under way. No news yet on the teams, or toss.

UPDATE:
Still no play. There is due to be a pitch inspection at 10:00 local time. That is about 45 mins from now. Fingers crossed we get a game...

Kenya vs. Zimbabwe: The Decider

Yesterday was not a good day for Kenyan cricket. For out bowlers, it was a struggle to contain Zimbabwe's batsmen, but they did show character in coming back to take 9 wickets after Zimbabwe had got off to a flier. For our batsmen, Kennedy Otieno and Peter Ongondo excepted, it was an unmitigated disaster. When only two members of the batting line up manage to get into double figures and one of those is the number 10, serious questions need to be asked. The trouble is, it is not a question of selection or lack of talent. On the whole, the players who took to the pitch yesterday for Kenya were the best team we could field. A change or two is possible; for example, a strong case could be made for including Kalpesh Patel, possibly in place of Brijal Patel or Alfred Luseno. He is the only member of the squad who has not had a chance to show his mettle, and the rest of the team have not been playing sufficiently well to warrant him being left out again. There may also be one or two players back in Kenya, Amit Bhudia for one, who could look to this tour, and think they may be in with a chance for selection for the trip to Bangladesh. For the most part however, the team that plays today will be very similar, as will the one that travels to Bangladesh. Somehow, the whole of the Kenyan team need to find the fighting spirit showed by Otieno yesterday. Make no mistake, if we play against Bangladesh like we did yesterday and in the first match of the tour, we will not only lose the series, we will lose credibility as well. Roger Harper and Steve Tikolo need to find an answer quick sharp.
Winning today's match will be seen as a must-do for both teams. Zimbabwe will not recover from a series loss to Kenya for a long time, and for Kenya, a loss would be a serious setback to the revival that is currently under way within the Kenyan cricket community. Tikolo has the quality and experience to lead from the front. He will need all of this and more tonight, in what is possibly the most important match he has played for his country. If Kenya can win today, we will show the World that our resurgence is on course. There may have been a couple of blips, but we are on our way back. If we lose, it is back to the drawing board, and another long hard slog to convince other Full Member teams we are worth playing. Kenya have the talent, they have the experience, and they have the character, lets hope they can find it today, and give the country its first ever series win.

Kenya vs. Zimbabwe 4th ODI: Kenya Innings

Another bad start, with Kenya losing opener David Obuya early on for 5. He was caught Coventry, bowled Mahwire. After 6 overs, Kenya are 1-19 with Kennedy on 11, and Tony Suji, still batting at 3, yet to score from 14 deliveries. Surely it is time the Kenyan selectors experimented with a different player in this position. Suji is a fine player for lower down the order, but he does not have the strokeplay for this position in One Day cricket. Especially in a run chase like this, slow scoring puts extra pressure on the other batsmen in the team, increasing the likelihood of them getting out. Hopefully, Tikolo, Odoyo and Mishra will still bat in their accustomed positions, with Ouma coming in after Mishra. It is early days yet, and we can still win this match, but this tour has shown how badly Kenya miss a player of Ravindu Shah's quality to open with Kennedy.

UPDATE 1:

Zimbabwe's bowlers continue to give Kenya trouble in the run chase. Suji fell for 2 from 22, surely his last effort at number 3! He was caught and bowled by Utseya. Then, a huge disaster for Kenya, Steve Tikolo bowled by Higgins for 2. This is a terrible blow to Kenya, as Tikolo is the one player with the potential to really rip apart a bowling attack. We will be hard pressed from here, and it will need the very best from Otieno, currently on 27 from 29, and Thomas Odoyo who has come to the crease, for us to recover.

UPDATE 2:

In what is rapidly turning into a disaster for Kenya, Zimbabwe's bowlers have completely turned the tables on us. After 25 overs, Kenya have struggled to 7-72. Kennedy Otieno, who has done exceptionally well to reach his 50, is the only player to get past 5 runs. On Wednesday, we were able to hide poor batting behind a fantastic bowling effort. Today, there is no such luxury, and Kenya are very close to a humiliating defeat. Remove Otieno, and this is about the worst ever scorecard I think I have seen from a Kenyan team. We will have to really regroup before the deciding match tomorrow.

UPDATE 3:

It is all but over now. Brijal Patel joined the rest of the Kenyans in the dressing room who failed to get over five. He was dismissed by Higgins for 2 off 19. Kennedy Otieno then finally holed out on 69 - a lone star on a very poor scorecard. Luseno and Ongondo are trying a last ditch effort to get Kenya to within a hundered. Ongondo is showing the rest how it is done on 17, and Luseno is Kenya's third highest scorer on 8. It pains me greatly to stay up till almost 3am to have to write that. I hope tomorrow sees a different result for Kenya.

UPDATE 4:

It is over, and Kenya have suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the hosts. Ongondo was the final wicket to fall for 17, but at least he got beyond double figures. Tomorrow better be an improvement. Kenya all out for 120 lose by 111 runs.