Kenya sweats on Obanda's fitness as Bermuda hopes for improved performance in ICC Intercontinental Cup match starting Thursday

Kenya is sweating on the fitness of batsman Alex Obanda while Bermuda is hoping for an improvement in form as the two sides prepare to go head-to-head in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Nairobi from Thursday.

19-year-old Obanda, who averages over 45 from eight first-class matches, was carried off during the second ODI against Bermuda last Saturday after twisting his right ankle after stepping on the rope.

According to Kenya coach Alfred Boi Njuguna, Obanda has been in severe pain but a decision on his selection will not be made until Thursday morning.

"His ankle is still strapped but the pain has subsided. He will undergo further X-rays later in the day after which we will exactly know the extent of his injury," said Njuguna on Tuesday.

"I have no hesitation in saying that I would not like to play without him. He is not only a player with a lot of promise and potential but is someone who bolsters the middle-order," he added.

Obanda scored an invaluable 83 in the previous Intercontinental Cup game against Canada and featured in a 122-run third wicket partnership with David Obuya (72) that laid the foundation of a first innings score of 393 which eventually resulted in a nine-wicket victory in the African side's competition opener.

In the two ODIs against Canada, Obanda had scores of 30 and 85 while he stroked a match-winning 79 against Bermuda in the first ODI.

"You always want to persist with young talent because it is an investment for the future. Obanda is a player who has earned a lot of respect from his team-mates because of his professional attitude and commitment," continued Njuguna.

Kenya, since its two disappointing performances in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in September, has played exciting cricket. Besides comfortably winning its ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Canada, it has also won all five of its ODIs against Canada and Bermuda.

Njuguna wants to carry forward that momentum and also expects his players to maintain the same aggressive attitude. "We turned things around for us by playing positively and aggressively, and I would like to see the same approach in this game," he said.

"Like any other opponent, we will respect Bermuda and will try to play as hard as possible. A 3-0 (ODI series) victory was thoroughly celebrated but that is now something of the past. In the forthcoming four-day match, we will have to stay focused and composed without taking things for granted," Njuguna added.

The Kenya coach also warned that the match is likely to be hard work for the bowlers. "Traditionally Nairobi Gymkhana has always been a batsman's paradise. We managed to wrap-up our match against Canada with a day to spare because we attacked the three sticks and that's what we will have to do this time.

"My advice to the bowlers will be to bowl as straight as possible, keep patience and wait for the batsmen to make mistakes," he said.

Bermuda, on the contrary, has so far struggled to live up to its lofty reputation, gained by virtue of its qualification to this year's ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. In this competition it has lost both its matches to the Netherlands (by an innings and 44 runs) and Ireland (by an innings and 146 runs) and goes into this game with that defeat in the ODI series against Kenya.

However, Bermuda coach and former West Indies batsman Gus Logie has emphasizes that his team's indifferent performance is a result of several factors. "Our difficulties stem from different things, starting from the players' non-availability to lack of playing facilities. But we continue to work hard and take them as new challenges," he said.

"For this game, we have the services of a few experienced players and I am sure if the batsmen succeed in putting decent runs on the board, we will perform better than the previous games.

"In the ODI series against Kenya, we showed signs of improvement and that's what we have to continue to do," said Logie who played 52 Tests and 158 ODIs for the West Indies between 1981 and 1993.

Logie dispelled the impressions that Bermuda U/19 team's qualification for next year's ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup has put pressure on his team. "These are two different levels of the game and cannot be compared. And I think we were the ones who inspired the youngsters after qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup this year.

"People want to look at our victories but don't consider the fact that this team has put Bermuda on the cricket map after putting up a series of excellent performances."

The umpires for the match will be Brian Jerling from South Africa, of the Emirates International Panel, and Buddhi Pradhan from Nepal, of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires International Panel.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006/07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007/08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be decided.

Kenya squad: Steve Tikolo (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Peter Ongondo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Maurice Ouma, Elijah Otieno, Hiren Variaya, David Obuya, James Kimande, Tony Suji, Lameck Onyango, Alfred Luseno.

Bermuda squad: Irving Romaine (captain), David Hemp, Dwayne Leverock, Lionel Cann, Jekon Edness, Stephen Outerbridge, James Celestine, Kevin Hurdle, Rodney Trott, Malachi Jones, Tamauri Tucker, Jeneiro Tucker, Kyle Hodsoll, Azeem Pitcher, Kian Butterfield.

Umpires: Brian Jerling and Buddhi Pradhan