Cricket

Kenya struck back in emphatic fashion to beat Namibia by six wickets in their ICC World Cricket League Championship 50-over match at the United field on Thursday.

After dismissing Namibia for a paltry 129 runs, Kenya reached the winning target for the loss of only four wickets with 19 overs in hand.

Kenya won the toss and sent Namibia in to bat and the decision soon paid dividends as Kenya’s bowlers exploited the conditions and got the ball to seam around.

Christi Viljoen and Louis Klazinga took three wickets apiece as Namibia completed an innings victory over Kenya on the final day of their Intercontinental Cup match in Windhoek.

Set up by Gerrie Snyman's unbeaten double hundred, Namibia's first-innings score of 630 for 7 declared was enough for them not to have to bat again, as Klazinga bowled Tanmay Mishra with Kenya still one run in arrears.

The win moved Namibia up to fourth, with 43 points from four completed matches, and left Kenya struggling in seventh, with only Canada below them. Ireland head the table with 67 points.

A dominant double hundred by Namibia's middle-order batsman Gerrie Snyman helped them gain a big lead over Kenya on the third day in Windhoek.

Two strong partnerships were the platform for Namibia's huge first-innings total of 630 for 7 - between captain Sarel Burger and Craig Williams worth 192, and that between Snyman and Nicolaas Scholtz accounting for 172 runs.

The 326-run lead after their innings was reduced to 217 runs as Kenya, largely through openers Irfan Karim and Alex Obanda, reached 109 for 2 at the close of play.

Namibia took control of their Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya as Craig Williams hit 140 to guide them to 343 for 4 which was already a lead of 39.

Making the most of good batting conditions, Namibia replied to Kenya's 304 at a brisk pace built around a third-wicket stand of 192 between Williams and the captain Sarel Burger.

Williams struck 16 fours and three sixes in his 10th first-class hundred and ended just four short of his career best when he became Nelson Odhiambo's second wicket shortly after the lead was secured.

Tanmay Mishra's maiden first-class hundred helped Kenya towards a useful total on the opening day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia.

Mishra's 108, alongside a half-century for Collins Obuya, guided Kenya to 297 for 7 at the close.

Mishra struck 17 boundaries in his 200-ball innings before falling in the final over of the day, bowled by Ian Opperman, to even the scales.

The early advantage had gone to Namibia before the visitors fought back during the second two sessions.

Namibia’s cricket team is well prepared for this weekend’s ICC Intercontinental Cup match and next week’s two 50-over matches against Kenya and will be going full out for a win against their African rivals.

According to Cricket Namibia CEO Graham MacMillan the team has been in camp for a week while the players are in top shape.

“The preparation has gone really well. Most of the guys have already played two weeks of club cricket while we had a Namibia A versus B practise match last weekend so we are ready for Kenya,” he said.

Cricket Namibia has announced the final squads for the Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League Championship matches against Kenya, which start at the end of September.

The squad to play Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup will be captained by Sarel Burger with Raymond van Schoor as the vice captain, and includes three players who represented Namibia at the recent Under 19 Cricket World Cup, namely Stephan Baard, Jason Davidson and Wian van Vuuren.

The squad is as follows:

Namibia will host Kenya in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match and two Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship matches, starting at the end of September after the ICC relocated the matches to Namibia.

The matches were scheduled to take place in Mombasa but due to a revised security assessment for Kenya overall, including Mombasa, the matches have now been relocated to Namibia.
 
The matches will now all take place at United Cricket Club in Windhoek.

Cricket Namibia, with a sponsorship from Hollard Insurance, will present an U15 and U19 Cricket Development Festival in Windhoek during the second week of the school holiday, from August 28 to September 3.

Eight teams representing six Namibian schools will participate in the tournament, namely WAP, Pro-Ed, St Paul’s College, WHS, Windhoek Gymnasium and JCCS.

A total of fourteen matches of 50 overs each will be played with each team playing three to four matches on a round robin basis.

Namibia lost their final match by 70 runs to Zimbabwe to finish last at the U19 Cricket World Cup in Australia on Thursday.

Zimbabwe batted first after winning the toss and posted a sizeable 236 for nine wickets in their 50 overs.

Namibia got off to a good start in their run chase, but lost their last five wickets for 59 runs as Zimbabwe completed a comprehensible victory.

Namibia made a good start as Jason Davidson dismissed both Zimbabwe’s opening batsmen with only 10 runs on the board.