Nepal’s cricket team edged out to Kenya in the first of the World Cricket League matches between the two sides. It was clearly evident during the match that the bowlers hold the key to victory on the slow Kirtipur surface and the toss also has a bearing on the outcome of the game. Kenya’s finishers showed patience and temperament against a formidable Nepali bowling attack. But none of the sides managed to clearly take the game away from the other until the last few overs of the game.

The African side, which famously made it to the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup, have lost four out of nine matches they’ve played so far (two to PNG, and one each to Hong Kong and the UAE). After a cursory look at the matches they have lost so far, one can draw some observations about the weaknesses of this Kenyan side. Here’s what Nepal can do to cash in on those weaknesses:

 

1.

Get Rakeep Patel out early

In all four matches that Kenya have lost, skipper Rakeep Patel has been dismissed before completing 40 runs. The UAE got him on 10, PNG on 39 and a duck, and Hong Kong on 33. Against Nepal, he was unbeaten on 34. In the four matches Kenya have lost, Patel has fallen to a right-arm medium pacer on two occasions, while a right arm spinner has bowled him over once.

 

2.

 Pace against top order

In the three of the four matches Kenya have failed to win, medium pacers have provided the initial breakhrough and spinners have cleaned up the tail. For example, in Kenya’s loss against the UAE, it was pacer duo Manjula Guruge and Mohammad Naveed who rattled the top order. Against PNG, it was the duo of  Norman Vanua and John Reva who did the job. Against Hong Kong, however, it was the spinners who claimed the breakthrough.

 

3.

Attack the tail

Kenya have a long ‘tail’ and it gets exposed once the recognised batsmen are out. Once the top 5-6 batsmen are out, the tail is under a lot of pressure, and a good spinner can go through the side in a matter of overs. In the four losses Kenya have been handed in the league, none of the last five batsmen in the side have scored more than 14 runs, with the exception of NN Odhiambo, who scored a 62 against the UAE coming in at number 7.

 

 

4.

Stem the flow of runs

In matches Kenya have lost, breakthroughs have come when runs are hard to come by. For example, in the loss against the UAE, the Asian side were able to apply the brakes on the scoring get openers Morris Ouma and Irfan Karim out LBW and bowled respectively. PNG were also successful in claiming the first few wickets by stemming the flow of runs. Hong Kong put on the brakes on Kenya’s scoring in the sixth over, and were awarded with a wicket in the 13th over, then more wickets fell in the 14th, 15th and 17th over.

Well, cricket is a complex game, and teams go into a match well-aware of each other’s weaknesses. Four matches could also be too small a number to draw conclusions from. But a Nepali win will comprise at least a few things we’ve listed here. Nepal would also have to put on a better batting performance. And wicket conditions also play an important role in the way a match pans out!