All eyes on Tikolo as Kenya lock horns with Uganda in T20

All eyes will be on Kenya’s most celebrated cricketer Steve Tikolo when the Cricket Kenya Quadrangular Series enter Day Three in Nairobi today.

After falling out with Cricket Kenya early last year following a players’ revolt, as they blamed him for high-handedness, Tikolo headed to Uganda and as fate would have it, Tikolo will today turn up against a side that he was once in charge of.

Since taking over, Tikolo’s first assignments were against Saudia Arabia and Qatar in the ongoing series, where he lost both matches.

Tikolo recalls the good relationship he had with the team, adding that he worked for the good of the team. But the former national team skipper said the relationship will count for nothing when they seek their first win over Kenya.

“These series provide a good opportunity for my team and I am sure they will do well. Just like any other coach, I am going for victory. My players are also ready for the challenge and hopefully, they will emerge victorious,” Tikolo said.

Despite losing in two consecutive matches, Tikolo praised his players, saying they played extremely well.

“They have been very good and I am asking them not to allow the previous results to overshadow their good show, because this is a team that has not played internationally for the past two years. I commend them for a job well-done and I look forward to more improvement.”

Tikolo’s good relationship with the Ugandans saw some players, who had given up on the national team, make a U turn.

“It is due to my good relationship with most players that made them come back. After my appointment, I hit the ground running and it was not difficult for me to convince them and I am glad they are now happy flying the Ugandan flag. Above all, they love playing cricket.”

Kenya go into today’s match buoyed by back-to-back wins over Qatar and Saudi Arabia and will be banking on home advantage as they seek to continue with their long dominance over Uganda.

Kenya’s coach Thomas Odoyo told Feverpitch that even though Kenya are favourites, they will leave nothing to chance as they hunt for an unbeaten run.

“We are determined to continue with our good run, therefore we need to give our best in this match. We have always been the better side, but the rivalry between us and them (Uganda) is huge. We have a lot of respect for them because they are worthy opponents,” Odoyo said.

“In our tie against the Saudi’s, we were very good in batting, but our bowling was not the best. We want to sharpen that area and see how it works as we asses our progress,” he said.