On Saturday, Kenya begins its final countdown towards what would be its first ICC Intercontinental Cup title when it takes on the Netherlands at Amstelveen .
Steve Tikolo’s side is currently lying in third place on the table, just six points behind Namibia and Scotland . But with two games in hand over the Scots, Kenya will feel a place in the final is within its grasp.
“We know it’s in our own hands,” said captain Tikolo. “If we win in Amstelveen and then beat Ireland back home in October, we will be through to the final.
“It would mean a lot to us because even though we have been close in the past, we have never won this competition,” he said.
Indeed, when Kenya got to the final in 2005 at the Wanderers Club in Windhoek, Namibia, it was Ireland that beat it so there will be a certain amount of pay-back due from that nasty experience.
“We are not looking ahead to that game yet. First of all, we must beat the Netherlands . I know that Peter (Borren) and his guys will be confident after getting through to the ICC World Twenty20 at the qualifying tournament in Belfast last week but the four-day game is a different prospect.
“They definitely have some good players. Tom de Grooth has been playing well and Edgar Schiferli and Mohamed Kashif are always dangerous but the Netherlands are out of the running in this competition whereas we still have everything to play for,” said the veteran Tikolo.
“We have a pretty strong side over for this and we’re determined not the let this opportunity slip from our grasp.”
And to encourage Tikolo further, the Netherlands team is missing some key players for this game, including Ryan ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent and Alex Kervezee so the pressure will really be on the home side.
With unsettled weather forecast for the Netherlands over the coming days, Tikolo will want to make sure the rain that prevented him and his team from even taking the field in Glasgow last week does not stop them from securing all 20 points this week.
It looks as though the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 is going to go all the way down to the wire. As it stands, it’s almost certain that the final will be contested between two of Namibia , Kenya and defending champion Ireland .
All will come down to Ireland’s Africa tour in October when it will probably need to win both games to keep alive the dream of winning three titles in a row. It will surely be a thrilling conclusion to another successful staging of the event and will set up an exciting November final at a venue yet to be finalised.
Play starts at 1030 on Saturday and the umpires for the match are Mark Benson from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Neils Bagh from the ICC Associate and Affiliate International Panel of Umpires.
Squads:
Netherlands (from): Peter Borren (captain), Eric Szwarczycinski, Rifais Bakas, Mohamed Kashif, Daan van Bunge, Tom de Grooth, Maurits Jonkman, Lesley Stokkers, Edgar Schiferli, Atse Buurman, Pieter Seelaar, Mudassar Bukhari.
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 14 August)
P W L D Pts
Namibia 5 5 0 0 82
Scotland 7 3 1 3 82
Kenya 5 3 1 1 76
Ireland 5 3 0 2 72
Netherlands 6 3 3 0 48
UAE 7 1 5 1 29
Canada 7 1 5 1 29
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
Remaining fixtures:
3-6 Sep – Namibia v Bermuda, Windhoek
5-8 Oct – Namibia v Ireland , Windhoek
12-15 Oct – Kenya v Ireland , Kenya
TBC – Final
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