Scotland has to win to stand any chance of a final berth; defeat for Kenya would leave it with an uphill task
Scotland hopes for repeat of easy win in ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier; Kenya looks to recover lost pride
If it isn’t a case of winner takes all in Scotland’s ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya starting on Thursday then it is as close to it as makes no difference.
If Scotland loses then it is officially out of the running for a final berth while, for
Kenya, defeat would leave it facing an uphill task to try and qualify.Success for the Scots would actually take it the head of affairs, 10 points clear of long-time leader Namibia. But as it is the last match of the round-robin stage for Ryan Watson’s team it would then face an anxious wait to see if remaining results went in its favour.
Ireland, one of Scotland’s closest rivals, face away matches against Kenya and Namibia while one of Namibia’s remaining matches is at home against bottom side Bermuda.
Scotland’s best hope appears to lie in victory followed by Namibia winning its two remaining matches (it has five wins from five at this stage) and Kenya and Ireland cancelling each other out. But there seems sure to be plenty of twists and turns before this group stage is over, especially given Kenya – Ireland is the last round-robin match.
The Scots, of course, are on a high after finishing in third place in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Belfast, a spot that will give them a place in next year’s main event in England provided Zimbabwe Cricket’s board ratifies a decision made at the ICC annual conference, to step back from the event.
And to secure that third place Scotland beat Kenya in one of the most convincing – and one-sided – matches of the tournament, chasing down 107 to win for the loss of just one wicket with 11 balls in hand after Kyle Coetzer and Watson added 102 for the first wicket.
Coetzer has headed back to county cricket duty with Durham and is one of four changes in the squad with wicketkeeper Colin Smith, opener Gavin Hamilton and another county player, Navdeep Poonia (Warwickshire) all missing for the re-match with the African side.
In their places come Dougie Lockhart (who will open the innings and replace Smith behind the stumps), spinner Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh and Omer Hussain.
Lyons collected six wickets against Bermuda and seven against Canada, while Lockhart made his maiden first-class hundred in Toronto, a game in which Sheikh made 92.
The Scots are, quite simply, flying, and from a point two matches ago when even the coach Peter Steindl seemed to think it had nothing to play for, now the players will know another win will give them hope for a spot in the final.
Quoted on http://www.cricketeurope.net/, Steindl said: “We look forward to playing Kenya, knowing that we have to win this, our final game to have any chance of reaching the I-Cup final.”
But if Scotland is flying then Kenya is struggling for lift-off. The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier was a disaster and the loss in the third and fourth-placed play-off means it will miss out on a tournament it was a part of in South Africa in 2007.
A loss in Glasgow won’t end Kenya’s hopes of reaching the final but it will make it very tough. One of its remaining matches is against the Netherlands, which has struggled badly in this tournament, but the other is against two-time defending champions Ireland.
It will be a repeat of the 2005 final which Ireland won, but at least Kenya will have home advantage.
But before it gets to that point there is the small matter of the Scotland encounter. David Obuya and Alfred Luseno are added to the squad that was in action in Belfast.
The officials for the match will be a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, Simon Taufel, and Paul Baldwin, one of the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Umpires panel.
Scotland (from): Ryan Watson (captain), Richie Berrington, Dewald Nel, John Blain, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Omer Hussain, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Qasim Sheikh, Neil McCallum, Fraser Watts.
Kenya (from): Steve Tikolo (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Tony Suji, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Jimmy Kamande, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Alex Obanda, Ragheb Aga, David Obuya, Alfred Luseno, Collins Obuya.
ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 5 August)
P W L D Pts
Namibia 5 5 0 0 82
Scotland 6 3 1 2 72
Ireland 4 3 0 1 69
Kenya 4 3 1 0 66
Netherlands 6 3 3 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 29
Canada 6 1 5 0 26
Bermuda 6 1 5 0 26
Key:
Six points for first innings lead
14 points for a win (so, maximum of 20 points per match)
Three points for a draw
Top two sides qualify for the final at a venue to be confirmed
ICC Intercontinental Cup form guide
Scotland:
Drew with UAE, Ayr, June 2007 (weather-affected, no first innings points, both sides take three points each)
Beat Netherlands by innings and 59 runs, Aberdeen, August 2007
Drew with Ireland, Belfast, August 2007 (Ireland secured first innings points)
Lost to Namibia by one wicket, Windhoek, April 2008
Beat Bermuda by 107 runs, Hamilton, Bermuda, July 2008
Beat Canada by innings and 165 runs, Ontario, July 2008
Kenya:
Beat Canada by nine wickets, Nairobi, October 2007
Beat Bermuda by eight wickets, Nairobi, November 2007
Lost to Namibia by 101 runs, Sharjah, UAE, January 2008
Beat UAE by 81 runs, Sharjah, UAE, February 2008
Current and upcoming matches:
7 – 10 August, Scotland v Kenya, Glasgow
7 – 10 July – Ireland v Canada, Malahide
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception four years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.
Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada in the 2006-07 event.
The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.
ICC MEDIA RELEASE