Slow progress ... but progress nonetheless
Martin Williamson looks at how Kenya fared in 2007
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Hiren Varaiya, not exactly new but only 22 and given that good slow bowlers are worth their weight in gold, he is a godsend. Economical in one-day games and a wicket-taker in first-class matches. He too would benefit from overseas experience and on occasion his captain seems unwilling to bowl him ahead of less able seamers.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Kennedy Otieno departed in a huff twice in a short time, the second occasion when he was left out of the World Cup squad after failing to return from a club commitment in Australia. A year or two back his absence would have been a blow, but he was not really missed and the selectors sent out a clear message that prima donnas would no longer be tolerated.
In September Thomas Odoyo was named the inaugural Associate Player of the Year at the annual ICC's annual beanfeast. In brought deserved accolades for Odoyo and boosted the profile of Kenya and all the Associates.
The dismal performance in the ICC World Twenty20 Championship undid so much of the team's progress and sent a bad message to the world, and the manner of the defeat against New Zealand prompted some serious post mortems at home.
Kenya have to continue to press for matches but the best they are likely to get are matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. A year of consolidation ahead of the vital 2009 World Cup Qualifier is about as good as they can get, and they need to appoint a high-calibre coach to replace the impression Roger Harper. At home grass-roots development and a successful national lead is the priority.
Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn/NR | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ODIs | 17 | 13 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||
Twenty20 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||
Intercontinental Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Martin Williamson is executive editor of Cricinfo