Scotland matches must-win for Kenya, says Odoyo

What you need to know:

  • The 2019 World Cup will be jointly hosted by England and Wales and will feature 10 teams.

The national cricket team coach Thomas Odoyo on Wednesday said that Kenya must win the remaining two ICC World Cricket League Championship matches against Scotland set for Dubai on December 6 and 8, to enhance their chances of securing a place in next year’s 2019 World Cup qualifiers.

Two wins will give Kenya four points which will take them one point ahead of Scotland (15 points) on the table.

Odoyo said that to achieve that feat, the team must play some friendly games in Dubai for acclimatisation.

“It is extremely hot in Dubai in the month of December. It will be good for us to play a number of games there as part of our acclimatisation,” said Odoyo.

Commenting on Kenya’s performance against the Dutch in South Africa last weekend, where the two teams shared points 2-2, Odoyo said: “The boys made a few mistakes which we will rectify in practice sessions.”

“The positive thing is that the players have gained confidence and have learned the process required to win a game instead of taking shortcuts. We will continue working on both mental and technical aspects of the game.”

PRAISED DUO

Odoyo also said that he was happy that a number of boys can now singlehandedly win a game for the team. He singled out Dhiren Gondaria and Collins Obuya both of whom got half centuries in both the matches against the Dutch.

The team will resume training on Tuesday.

Eight teams including The Netherlands (18 points), Papua New Guinea (16), Scotland (15), Kenya (12), Hong Kong (11), Nepal (8), Namibia (6) and UAE (6) are fighting for the four slots reserved for the group in next year’s World Cup qualifiers.

The 2019 World Cup will be jointly hosted by England and Wales and will feature 10 teams.