National men’s cricket head coach David Obuya is buoyant that the team will reign at the Africa Twenty 20 Cup Final slated for September 15 to 22 in South Africa.
Obuya said the team is set to leave the country on September 13 for the event that has attracted eight countries divided into two groups.
Group 'A' will feature—Uganda, Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique while Group 'B' will have Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon and Malawi.
“I am optimistic we will rise to the occasion during the event organized by African Cricket Association (ACA). Our aim is to return home with the trophy,” said Obuya.
At the just concluded three-day 50-over tournament against Nepal at the Gymkhana grounds in Nairobi, Kenya lost all their three games. The team had also lost to Nepal (3-2) in the five-day T20 series.
However, Obuya insists that the team played well considering they have not had a home series for almost four years.
He cited batting as their main undoing, adding that they are currently working on it. He said the home series had given many players an opportunity to play.
“I think the players performed well right from the T20 cup to the 50-overs show. However, we are still struggling with our top-order batting. We are not getting a good start. The home series gives many players the opportunity to play and polish their skills. When we play away from home, we only go with 16 players,” he said.
Obuya said his priority going forward will be to give opportunities to the young players in a bid to grow cricket in Kenya.
“In the 50-overs, I fielded 17-year-old Vishal Patel and he played well. The future is bright,” he said.
Obuya said he is looking forward to hosting another T-20 tournament once they come back from South Africa.
“Once we come back, We are hopeful of having another T-20 tournament and T-50 show at the end of the year,” Obuya revealed.
Meanwhile, legendary cricketer and County Associations Cricket representative Kennedy Obuya has confirmed the participation of the Under-19 team in the Africa Division Two World Cup Qualifiers set for September 30 to October 8 in Nigeria.
The event has drawn teams from Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Rwanda and Mozambique.
He said the federation is looking to introduce cricket to other counties because it is only active in Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru counties.
“The youngsters will be going to Nigeria for the World Cup qualifiers. We are also scheduling more tournaments to make sure our players improve on the weak areas. In the future, I want to see cricket being played in more counties in the country,” Kennedy said.
