 Headlines will be made by the India and Australia battling in a test series for
supremacy, very few fans across the world would turn eyes to the two "minnows"
of cricket facing off each other in a series of 3 ODIs in Kenya.
Afghanistan, the surprise package of cricket in have a better resume than that
of the Kenyans in recent times. They thumped the Kenyans by 167 runs in the
recent four day game. Both these teams have talent and good young players coming
up. The four day Intercontinental Cup game was hard fought. With both these
teams looking forward to the next year's World Cup, it's a safe bet that the
ODIs would also be compelling to watch.
Click for Live Score Card of Kenya Vs AfghanistanKenya who rose to international success in the late 90s and finished as semi-finalists
in 2003, have failed to build on their sparkling entry in cricket and have struggled
immensely. After the dismal performances in Netherlands and now led by the wicket
keeper Maurice Ouma, Kenya have a point to prove and would want to restore
the national pride.
Clearly there some are positives in Kenyan cricket. Players like 20 year old
Seren Waters and James Ngoche are coming through and the Kenyan coach Eldine Baptiste branded the selection of this tour as the hardest he'd ever made.
Despite all this Kenya's opening woes continue as they are yet to find a decent
opening pair, combinations after combinations have been tried but to no avail.
They have lost all their previous five ODIs.
Afghanistan are easily the most ambitious team the world cricket today. Having
recently been inducted into the international arena, they have not only surprised
everyone by performances but also by their ambitions, goals and dreams. Rashid
Latif, Afghanistan coach has said that Test status is within the reach
of his team and it could be as early as two years before they have it. This
remark by Latif cannot be ignored because wherever they have played, Intercontinental
Cup or ICC world T20, they have impressed more than a few people. Their young
and hardworking crop of players like Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Asghar
Stanikzai and the paceman Hamid Hassan, is a pleasant surprise for every
cricket fan who wants to see the game globalized.
They have won three of their last five games.
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