National men’s cricket team head coach David Obuya has singled out bowling as their biggest challenge as they prepare for the World Cup T20 qualifiers slated for November 15-18 in Rwanda.
Obuya said the team will soon resume training to ensure they are in good shape ahead of the tournament. He said they are likely to host a Five- Nation tournament before the Rwanda show but they are awaiting confirmation.
“Our next tournament is the World Cup T20 qualifier in Rwanda and we will resume training soon to work on our weak areas,” Obuya said.
The veteran coach revealed the team’s performance at the recent Africa Twenty 20 Cup Final in South Africa did not meet his expectations.
He said apart from the bowling department, where they are struggling, other areas are very much on course.
“The performance of the team was not that good but I noted great improvement in the way the spinners performed.
" After the South Africa tour, we have talked as a team and we have identified a few areas which we intend to work on when training resumes.
"Once we deal with bowling, everything will be back on the track," Obuya noted.
Obuya is also bullish that the juniors, who are in Nigeria for the Under-19 World Cup Qualifier perform well.
However, he urged the board should organize more local tournaments for the juniors to ensure they are well prepared for the international tournaments.
“We expect good results from our juniors who are away in Nigeria. I would like to urge the board to organise some local tournaments for the juniors and not just to act when it comes to international events,” he said.
In the next three years, Obuya is upbeat that things will change for the better, owing to Cricket Kenya's stability and their current links to international competitions.
He said instability on the board and the Covid-19 pandemic had stalled their progress for the last four years.
“In the near future, we shall be doing great things. We now have a stable office and this is a step in the right direction,” he said.
Obuya also extended a hand of gratitude to the director in charge of women’s cricket Pearl Omamo for burning the midnight oil to ensure that the ladies’ team is up and running.
“The ladies have been active…they are taking part in the league that has been going on over the weekend. Soon, they will be taking part in the international tournaments,” Obuya concluded.
