Only way for national team is up: Kenya can’t drop more catches

Captain Team Kenya Rakep Patel dive to save ball during Wold Cup Qualifiers match against Hongkong at Nairobi Gymkana on Friday, Nov 18, 2016. [PHOTO: JONAH ONYANGO/STANDARD]

Buoyed by their juniors’ prowess, the senior team is targeting the 2019 World Cup.

Once considered a cricket powerhouse and now a pale shadow of its former self, Kenya have been battling to reclaim lost glory.

Kenyan fans have had to endure heartbreak after heartbreak as the team has consistently failed to qualify for major world events.

There is hope though, now that the national Under-19 boys’ team has qualified for next year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.

In a twist of events, the men’s senior team is now motivated by the juniors and looking forward to a good performance in their ICC World Cricket League Championships (WCLC) match against the Netherlands on October 6 and 8 at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Kenya are fifth on the log and will be seeking to whitewash the tourists to improve their chances of making it to the 2018 World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh.

The provisional squad - made up of players who featured in the matches against Nepal earlier this year and others seeking a place in the national outfit - is currently training at Gymkhana and Sir Ali Club.

They will also be keen to revive their hopes of returning to the World Cup as well as getting One Day International (ODI) status, which they lost after a string of poor performances that led to non-qualification for the 2015 World Cup.

National team skipper Rakep Patel said the U-19s’ achievement motivated them and they were working very hard to ensure that they also gave a good account of themselves in their remaining WCLC ties against the Netherlands and Scotland.

“The Under-19 team’s qualification is the turning point for Kenyan cricket. It has been a long time since Kenya qualified for any global event and I believe their featuring in next year’s U-19 World Cup is a step towards recovery,” Patel said.

He added that the entire squad was committed to training because they felt challenged by the younger players.

“The Under-19 players have set the bar high and we all feel challenged to put in more effort and improve our performances.

“They have proved that it can be done with consistency, effort and the right attitude.”

Kenya face an uphill task against the Netherlands, who are at the top of the table with 16 points, six more than Kenya after 10 matches. Kenya played to a 1-1 draw away in Nepal after winning their first match by five wickets before falling to their hosts by seven wickets in the return leg.

The Netherlands on the other hand had a successful outing in Hong Kong, winning both their matches.