Kenya needs 246 for victory with eight wickets in hand

Barnett drives for four © ICC

Day 3 of the Intercontinental Cup match between Kenya and Canada ended just like the previous two days with neither the home side or the visitors in a commanding position.

Just like the previous days as one team appear to have an opportunity of gaining supremacy the other fought back to keep things even.

Today under sunny skies and humid conditions Canada added 10 runs before the night watchman Umar Bhatti was dismissed. Geoff Barnett the other overnight batsman was joined by Stewart Heaney and the pair put on a useful 3rd wicket partnership of 86 with most of those runs coming off the bat of Barnett.

The session after lunch raised the Canadian hopes as Barnett and Bagai took the total past the 200 mark as the pair shared a 112 run partnership. The left handed Barnett had scored his first century for Canada . His stay at the wicket lasted 282 minutes consisting of 18 fours and 3 sixes.

Barnett a well played century © ICC

With the score at 260 he was bowled by Nehemiah Odhiambo for a well played 136. This was the start of a fight back by Kenya lead by Odhiambo as the remaining batsmen added only 26 runs and Canada's innings closed giving Kenya a target of 291 for victory.

It must have been relief for the visitors to have a target set under 300.

Ashish Bagai had contributed a useful 57 while Nehemiah Odhiambo lead the fight back for Kenya with brilliant bowling figures of 15.5-4-54-5.

Given a target of 291 for victory Kenya started their innings with just over 75 minutes remaining in the day's play.

Canada struck early as Kennedy Otieno was dismissed without scoring for the second time in the match.

Two overs later Brijal Patel edged an Umar Bhatti delivery to the wicket keeper and Kenya found themselves stumbling at 21 for 2. It was Bhatti's second wicket in as many overs.

Kenya's bowlers fight back to keep it close © ICC

Suji was joined by his skipper Steve Tikolo and the pair batted out the remaining time without further loss. At close of play Kenya was 45 for2 needing 246 runs for victory with eight wickets in hand.

Tomorrow's weather forecast calls for more sunny skies and little chance of rain so there is no doubt there will be an outright winner but which team that will be is still difficult to predict and so far, from the swaying of advantage from one to the other, we might have to wait until the last wicket falls or the winning run scored- it has been just that good a game so far.