Kenyan team leave for Victoria Series this evening

Kenya will finally take part in the Victoria Women Cricket Tri series in Uganda after the hosts agreed to provide accommodation and meals for the 14-member squad.

Due to the squabbles at Cricket Kenya, the International Cricket Council (ICC) have suspended their grants to the country, leaving CK with no money to fund their activities.

Kenya risked missing the three-team tournament and were only admitted after interim CK officials Tom Tikolo and Kalpesh Solanki struck a deal with the hosts to have key services on credit including meals and accommodation. However, Kenya will be expected to pay for the two services when CK becomes financially stable.

In addition, CK will meet transport costs to and from Uganda for the three-team invitational tournament which also has Zimbabwe.

“We were at risk of not taking part in the event because of the current financial status at CK but we managed to come to an agreement with Uganda who have allowed us to take part in the event and we are ready,” Tikolo said.

In addition to putting the tour in doubt, the financial constraints at CK have also affected the team’s training.

The team, under the tutelage of former national team bowler, Lameck Onyango, has not been training for the last two months.

“It has been difficult to have these ladies in training. Their training comes up with some financial demands and with the current situation at CK, the program has been adversely affected,” he said.

The team leave the country this evening and Tikolo remained confident that the players will get the much needed exposure ahead of the forthcoming Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers to be played in Zimbabwe from May 3-13.

Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Tanzania are the other countries that will play at the double qualifier in Harare.

Veterans Margaret Banja, Sarah Bhakita, Mercyline Adhiambo, Quentoor Aooko, Sylvia Kinyua and Sharon Juma once again won Onyango’s confidence for selection.

Only one player Lavender Idambo from Kawangware Primary School is new in the team with the rest having played in previous World Cup Qualifiers.

Apart from training, the ladies have been starved matches locally as there is no structured league for them. The only event they play is only used as a way to prove to ICC that their something happening locally to enable ICC enroll Kenya in their competitions.

Kenya Squad: Margaret Banja (Captain), Sharon Juma, Sarah Bhakita, Venasa Ooko, Queentor Abel, Mary Mwangi, Esther Wachira, Daisy Njoroge, Mercyline Adhiambo, Silvia Kinyua, Monicah Ndhambi, Teresia Mwangi, Veronica Abuga, Lavender Idambo