Kenya, Malawi face off in ACA T20 Cup
Kenya's batsman Rakep Patel plays a delivery against Nepal's wicket-keeper Aarif Sheikh during the second match of their five-match T20 series on August 26, 2022 at Nairobi Gymkhana.
What you need to know:
- Obuya said that he expects his top order batsmen to step up to the plate following intense training. He also expects his side not to give away too many boundaries as was the case during the series against Nepal.
- Kenya will play Tanzania on Saturday at Willowmoore Park Cricket Stadium at 3pm and Cameroon on Monday at 10.30am Kenyan time.
Kenya will now face Malawi and not Nigeria in their Group “B” opening match of the 2022 Africa Cricket Association (ACA) Twenty20 (T20) Africa Cup Final in Johannesburg, South Africa Friday.
Initially, Kenya and Nigeria were supposed to clash on Thursday at Willowmoore Park Cricket Stadium, Beboni from 3pm Kenyan time.
But Nigeria failed to travel for the one-week tournament due to visa issues leading to the late changes in the fixture.
Their place in Group “B” was taken by Tanzania who were expected to arrive in Johannesburg Wednesday night.
Cameroon is the other team in the pool, while Group “A” comprises Uganda, Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique.
The opening clash of the eight-team competition will be between Botswana and Uganda in Group “A” at Willowmoore Park Cricket Stadium, Thursday from 10.30am Kenyan time.
The second match of the day will be between Cameroon and Malawi at 3pm Kenyan time.
Kenya’s coach David Obuya said the change in the fixture is a blessing to his side since they now have enough time to rest and acclimatise.
“We arrived here at 3am (Wednesday) and most of the players were very tired. Now with one more day to rest, I think we will be very much ready for our opening match against Malawi on Friday,” said Obuya.
Kenya will go into the match as favourites since they are ranked ahead in the men’s International Cricket Council (ICC) standings.
Coach Obuya’s men lie 28th on the log with 2,360 points, while Malawi are placed 52nd with 408 points only.
Out of the eight teams taking part in the competition, only Uganda is ranked above Kenya at 26 with 3,670 points. India tops with 13,136 points.
Obuya said that with his boys having prepared well for the tournament and Kenya being among the senior sides, it should have no problem in winning the title.
“We don’t want to underrate our opponents, so we will take one match at a time. But we (Kenya) are the most senior team in the tournament so we should easily reach the final and win,” he said.
The national team warmed up well for the African event with a T20 and One Day International (ODI) series against Nepal in Nairobi this month.
Nepal won both series, edging out Kenya 3-2 in the T20s and 3-0 in the ODIs.
Rakep Patel, Irfan Karim and Vraj Patel are some of the players to watch out for in Kenya’s 14-man squad, having impressed against Nepal.
Obuya said that he expects his top order batsmen to step up to the plate following intense training. He also expects his side not to give away too many boundaries as was the case during the series against Nepal.
Kenya will play Tanzania on Saturday at Willowmoore Park Cricket Stadium at 3pm and Cameroon on Monday at 10.30am Kenyan time.
