Five wickets! Kenya hit Nepal in World Cricket League Championship

Rakep Patel on Saturday played a captain’s innings in the ICC World Cricket League Championship match, scoring unbeaten 34 runs in a rain-hit match to help Kenya beat Nepal by five wickets through Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket ground, Kirtpur.

The win got Kenya two points and Nepal naught.

The rain that fell on the cricket venue in the morning caused delay and had the overs reduced from 50 to 36.  Rakep won toss and put Nepal in to bat first. Nepal scored 112 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted overs. Gyanendra Malla (27 off 35 balls) top scored for his side.

Dipendra Singh Airee (19 off 36 balls), Shakti Gauchani (un beaten 18 off 24 balls), Sompal Kami (unbeaten 15 off  17 balls) and Sagar Pun (10 off 23 balls) were the only batsmen who posted double digit figures on the scoreboard.

Shem Ngoche was Nepal’s main executioner taking three wickets for 18. Ngoche’s victims included Airee, whom he had caught by Collins Obuya. He clean bowled Binod Bhandan for 4 and got Basant Regimi caught by Rakep for 6.Nelson Odhiambo (2/17), Rakep (1/16), Elijah Otieno (1/16) and Nehemiah Odhiambo (1/29) were the other wicket takers.

Rain fell again interrupting resumption of the game and when it stopped, by the time the ground was ready, another target was set for Kenya, 104 runs in 29 overs.

As play resumed, there was another interruption, causing more adjustment on the target. At the time, Kenya was 80 for 5  in 20.1 overs. Another target was set and Kenya required 94 in 26 overs to win. The other Nepal’s wicket takers were Sagar Pun (2/8) and Regmi (1/24).

Rakep and Obuya (24 off 32 balls) put on a fourth wicket stand of 44 runs that pushed score from 21 to 65. The partnership was broken when Sandeep Lamichchhane (2/21)   trapped Obuya leg before wicket. That was the best stand for Kenya.

Kenya, coached by Thomas Odoyo, reached their new target, 98 with five wickets and 11 balls in hand. Rakep and Gurdeep Singh (unbeaten 12 off 19 balls with a boundary) shared a winning sixth wicket stand of 25.

Reacting to the victory, Odoyo said: “It is too early to start celebrating. We still have a game in hand.”

Asked if he was going to retain the same outfit in the next game, he said: “We will have to see how the wicket behaves that day. It keeps on changing because of rain that makes the wicket to turn a lot so we might think of a different strategy.”

Asked the sort of strategy he had in mind, Odoyo said: “I do not want to discuss about players now.”

Sunday is rest day. The two teams meet again on Monday.