Kenya: Under-19 Hope to Restore Pride After Flop

Richard Mwangi

26 March 2011

Nairobi — With the national teams’ dismal performance in the ongoing Cricket World Cup in Asia, Kenya’s hope of redeeming her game internationally now lies with the Under-19 squad preparing for the Global World Cup qualifiers set for Ireland in June.

There are a good number of promising players in the side who could help the country to regain her lost glory.

They include left-hand batsman and wicket-keeper Irfan Karim, Vinit Shikotra (right-arm off spin bowler), Raj Shikotra (all-rounder) and Raj Savala (left-arm orthodox bowler).

Others are Jignesh Hirani (left-hand batsman), Duncan Allan (all-rounder) and team captain Kennedy Owino (right-hand batsman).

The team did Kenya proud last August when they reached the final in the continental qualifiers where they lost to hosts Namibia.

However, the two finalists qualified to be Africa’s representatives. In Ireland, the non-Test playing sides will fight it out for the six slots reserved for them in the age group’s World Cup whose venue International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to confirm.

The boys were initially handled by former assistant national team coach Martin Suji before he was poached by Uganda as their national team tactician. The mantle of preparing the boys was passed on to Joseph Angara, who was Suji’s assistant.

“I have high hopes of us making it to the World Cup because a number of our boys are doing well with the bat,” said Angara.

“We have good bowlers in the side and our fielding is not bad at all.”

Angara has what it takes to take the team to the World Cup and is assisted by Francis Otieno, who gained much experience as Uganda’s U-19 coach.

Involved in national league

On Saturday, Angara said they are currently working with 20 boys who will be whittled down to the final team of 14. He also said that they will put the boys in camp in Mombasa for a month, starting Friday.

The Cricket Kenya chief executive officer, Tom Sears, has said the youngsters will be involved in the national league, which is set to be re-launched in July.

Even though the national side has been qualifying for the World Cup ever since they made their debut in the sub-continent in 1996, it has been quite the opposite for the youngsters. This is one tournament that has evaded Kenyan boys for nearly a decade.

Kenya last took part in the age group’s event in New Zealand in 2002, even though they had been beaten badly during the qualifiers for Africa in Uganda a year earlier. Then, the country was exempted from going through the qualifying rounds by virtue of having been elevated to one-day international (ODI) status two years earlier.

Their poor performance in Kampala followed them to New Zealand where Australia clobbered them by a whopping 430 runs. Two players who were in that squad – Morris Ouma and Nehemiah Odhiambo – later joined the national team.

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