Kenya's women need to play alongside men

England's Holly Colvin has said that women's cricket in Kenya will only improve if their cricketers are allowed to play alongside men in club cricket.

Speaking on a visit to Kenya with the Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) charity, Colvin told the Nairobi-based Star there were not enough female cricketers in the country to enable them to play enough and at a sufficient standard to build their game.

"It's very difficult to improve if you not playing someone stronger than you," she said. "The players will have to play alongside men either in the same team or against them. If this happens, then Kenya should expect to do well in their matches."

Colvin helped hone her game by playing alongside men in Sussex. "The boys don't treat me any different," she said. "I know how it feels to play against men but when you work hard and take it as a challenge, then things become easier for you and improvement is almost automatic."

Kenya's women have struggled on the international stage and they face another tough challenge in December when they take part in the 2014 T20 World Cup Qualifiers. "It's always a dream of any cricketer to play at a World Cup and I am sure this is what every member of the Kenyan team is looking forward to," Colvin said. "But they will have to realise that this can only come through hard work."