Odoyo optimistic despite Kenya’s off-wicket T20 show

Kenya cricket coach, Thomas Odoyo blamed lack of competitive matches for their underwhelming performance at the four-nation Quadrangular Twenty20 Series held in Nairobi after his side fell to Qatar by two wickets on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia crushed Qatar by seven wickets at Nairobi Gymkhana on Friday to clinch the series after posting 166 for the loss of three wickets in 18 overs after being set a target of 162 by their opponents who lost nine in their innings.

Odoyo will now prepare his side to face Hong Kong for their two-game series on November 18 and 20 after the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finalists recorded only a single victory in the Quadrangular after crushing neighbours Uganda by seven wickets after losing the opener by 39 runs to the Saudis.

“We don’t get to play too many matches which of course are vital in helping any team improve. We dropped down the pecking order in the ICC rankings and once that happens it’s very difficult to convince other teams to come here and play against you,” Odoyo told Citizen Digital.

The former right-handed batsman and medium-fast bowler who was part of the 2003 Kenyan side however, claimed cricket was headed in the ‘right direction’ and they will strive to rectify their mistakes ahead of the World Cricket League Championship against Hong Kong.

“I think in T20 it’s all about execution; it’s a shorter format of the game so it’s very important that you’re very effective.

“We did pretty well in the first half where we restricted them to 120 runs and in this format of the game that’s almost an insignificant score. We batted very poorly and our shot selection was poor so obviously we’ll be looking to improve on these,” he added on Qatar.

The Kenyans went out on the crease to bat first after Qatar captain; Mohamed Awais Malik won the toss and opted to field, posting 158 runs for the loss of seven wickets with captain Rakep Patel putting 54 on the board.

His half-ton was the highest score of the day before he perished to Mujeeb-ur-Rehman as Rushab Patel came on the tail end to add 28.

Qatar successfully achieved their run chase with only two balls remaining in the 19th over and the loss of eight wickets with opener Faisal Javid Khan smacking 35 as Imran Ashraf added another 33 runs to their total.

Faisal Javed, set off the visitors to a good start, chipping in with a 16-ball knock before his bowl-out to make way for Kamran Khan who was stunningly out-caught by Rushab Patel after skewing the ball against his bat.

A clearly disappointed Patel fumed off the pitch, muttering to himself and slamming his bat against a heap of bags at the visitors’ terrace.

Third-wicketer, Inam Ul Haq – who also skippers the sides’ over 50s – came in next and wreaked havoc, blasting a 31-ball knock.

Kenya’s bowler, Nelson Odhiambo, starred for the hosts, taking off three wicketers (Javed, Khan and Imran Sharaf) with the Kanbis star striking a whopping 80 runs.

The hosts, through Elijah Otieno, inflicted a run-out on Nouman Sarwar after only one ball to take the control seat before the tables turned in the last two overs.

Awais shifted in eight to re-gather his side before Iqball Hussain sealed the tie with another 11.

“I can’t say we were weak on fielding I think we’re just not yet fit enough; we’ve played throughout the two weeks and if you’re not strong enough the fatigue gets to you.

“We have to change the strategy for T20s and target more runs. We didn’t give our bowlers time today but hopefully we can change early enough as we prepare for Hong Kong,” Kenya’s Assistant Coach, Peter Ong’ondo said.

“Iqball had an excellent match and hopefully we can win against Saudi Arabia. The Kenyans were definitely more professional than Uganda; they are good in bowling and so beating them gives us confidence as a team,” Qatar’s Coach, Mohammed Awais Malik, stated.

-Special gift-

It was double delight for birthday boy, Khan, who was mobbed by the cheering Qatari team as he marked his 28th birthday in triumphant fashion.

“This is a special gift and to think that it was my best friend (Iqball) that finished off the game for us this afternoon is extra special. I’d like to congratulate all the guys out here today for the win. After the match we had a mini birthday celebration; they sang a happy birthday song for me and we’ll definitely carry this mood into the night.

“We had a great game and for me, we look good in shape so it will be fitting that we also celebrate the win as we prepare for tomorrow’s finals. For us this has been a good opportunity to showcase our talents especially since the match was broadcast live,” the ecstatic Khan said.