Hayat fires Hong Kong as Kenya collapse at Gymkhana

Babar Hayat’s brilliant knock of 78 inspired Hong Kong to a 39 run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Kenya at the Nairobi Gymkhana as the hosts spectacularly collapsed in their ICC World Cricket League Championship clash on Sunday.

Seeking to repeat their showing on Friday when they successfully chased the Hong Kong target to register a three-wicket win, rain once again wrecked havoc forcing the game to be restricted to 31 overs as Kenya fell short when they elected to field first after winning the toss.

The win moved Hong Kong up to 11 points from eight games, leaving them a point adrift of joint table-toppers Papua New Guinea and Netherlands.

Rains forced play to stop again and the tourists set Kenya a revised target of 173 after Hong Kong posted 148 for the loss in 25.1 overs with Lucas Oluoch claiming all the wickets in an superb fielding performance.

Kenya coach Thomas Odoyo blamed the loss on the inability of his side to deal with pressure admitting they have been left with a hill to climb in their remaining three games in the League Championship as they seek to secure a ticket to World Cup qualifiers.

“I’m very disappointed with the result because we had a good chance to chase the scores but our batsmen at times let us down. We were lacking awareness and Hong Kong made no mistake in utilizing our weaknesses,” Odoyo told Citizen Digital.

“Our bowling was a little bit poor compared to Friday and I think my boys were not concentrating at time. We should not give away wickets at all times considering we were chasing the score,” Odoyo, who was part of the Kenyan team that made the 2003 ICC World Cup semi finals, added.

“We still have three matches left for us and they are very essential considering we are facing tough opponents. Our target is to reach the qualification round of the world cup then afterwards we can think about the world cup,” the coach underscored.

His team takes on second-placed Netherlands, second placed Scotland and Nepal with the defeat leaving them in fifth on eight points, three behind the visitors.

The result means Kenya remain fifth with eight points, three behind Hong Kong who have 11 in the competition where Papua New Guinea tops the log with a superior run rate over the Dutch with both tied at 12.

Coming at number three, Hong Kong skipper Hayat was named man of the match at the Gymkhana after posting his half-century and eventual total from 68 balls in an innings that had four sixes and six boundaries before he was caught and bowled by Oluoch.

Opener Christopher Carter added a solid 41 as Nizakat Khan weighed in with 20 for Hong Kong before the visitors tore through the hosts after Obanda and Karim fell in quick succession to the bowling of Anshumah Rath and Carter to leave Kenya at 83 for 2.

Nadeem Ahmed, Ehsan Khan and Tanveer Ahmed claimed three Kenyan wickets apiece to restrict the hosts to 133 with the opening pair of Irfan Karim (33 runs) and Alex Obanda (39) who top scored for the hosts offering some measure of resistance.

That sparked a mid order collapse with captain Rakep Patel dismissed for a duck when he perished to Khan as the tail enders also failed in significantly add to the run chase

Dhiren Gondaria and Patel were then swiftly sent back to the pavilion by Ehsan to leave the hosts reeling at 4-89 before Narendra Kalyan perished next for another duck.

Veteran Collins Obuya tried to build some momentum by adding 17 from 21 balls as Gurdeep Singh (13 from 11) and Nehemiah Odhiambo (one run) perished around him for 7-121 but his charge was pulled short by a delivery from Nizakat Khan that drove the Kenyan to the grateful arms of Nadeem.

-Report by Richard Obaga

Kenya v Hong Kong scoreboard

Hong Kong

C.Carter c Obuya b Oluoch      41

K. Shah b Oluoch                1

B. Hayat c&b Oluoch            78

N. Khan not out                20

A.Rath b NM Odhiambo            3

T. Afzal not out                0

Extras (lb4, nb1)               5

Total (4 wkts; 25.1 overs)    148

Did not bat: Aizaz Khan, Nadeem Ahmed, Elsan Khan, Shahid Wasif

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Shah), 2-121 (Hayat), 3-127 (Carter), 4-142 (Rath),

Bowling: NN Odhiambo 3-1-8-0, Oluoch 6.1.-0-29-3, NK Patel 3-0-19-0 (1nb), NM Odhiambo 4-0-33-1, Ngoche 6-0-28-0, RR Patel 3-0-27-0

Kenya innings (target:173 runs from 25 overs)

I. Karim b Rath                           33

A. Obanda stCarter b Nadeem Ahmed         39

D. Gondaria b Ehsan Khan                   8

R.Patel b Ehsan Khan                       0

C.Obuya c Nizakat Khan b Nadeem Ahmed     17

N.Patel b Ehsan Khan                       0

G. Singh b Tanveer Ahmed                  13

NN Odhiambo b Tanveer Ahmed                1

S. Ngoche b Tanveer Ahmed                  0

NM Odhiambo c Ehsan Khan b Nadeem Ahmed   11

L. Oluoch not out                          1

Extras (lb4, w5, nb1)                     10

Total (all out; 23 overs)                133

Fall of wickets:1-79 (Obanda), 2-83 (Karim), 3-86 (RR Patel), 4-89 (Gondaria), 5-89 (NK Patel), 6-115 (Singh), 7-121 (NN Odhiambo), 8-121 (Ngoche), 9-131 (Obuya), 10-133 (NM Odhiambo)

Bowling:Afzal 5-0-30-0 (2w), Nadeem Ahmed 5-0-23-3 (2w), Aizaz Khan 2-0-19-0, Rath 5-0-25-1, Ehsan Khan 4-0-12-3 (1nb), Tanveer Khan 2-0-20-3

Match details

Toss Kenya, elected to field

Points Hong Kong 2 Kenya 0

Match of the match Babar Hayat

Umpires: Bongani Jele (South Africa and David Odhiambo (Kenya)

Match referee: Dev Govindjee (South Africa)

Third umpire: Rockie D’Mello (Kenya)