The Kenyan cricket team has yet another tough task ahead of them as they face defending champions Australia in the 31st match of the ICC World Cup 2011 on Sunday (March 13) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
The Aussies will go into the match as the clear favourites. Their recent form has been outstanding and with the inclusion of veteran batsman Michael Hussey their batting line-up looks more solid than ever.
But the biggest threat to the Kenyan side is from their fast bowling. The Kangaroos’ pace battery consisting of Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Brett Lee is probably the best in the tournament.
Kenyan batsman Seren Waters is wary of the opposition’s pace bowlers. “I don't think there is another attack in the world comparable to that. They've got three of the quickest bowlers in the world and they're coming one after the other, so there's no real respite. It's going to be an experience,” he said.
However, the batsman is confident that his side will perform well against the Kangaroos. Kenya has so far, failed to show any resistance to the Test-playing teams in their group.
The right-hand batsman was very realistic in his approach to the game and said, “We’d hope to give Australia a good game. Winning would be something you'd probably dream about. Realistically, having seen the way we've played so far, it's probably something not many people are expecting. But to give them a good game is our target.”
The pitch at Bangalore is more suited to batsmen and out of three matches played there in this World Cup, two have seen both teams scoring more than 300 runs.
Team form
Considering the form of the players this is a total mismatch. The Aussies are ranked number one in the world in One Day Internationals (ODIs). They may not be as strong in Tests as they were a couple of years ago, but in ODIs, they are still the top rated. They defeated arch-rivals England 6-1 in a home series in January and are undefeated in this edition of the World Cup. From the last five, they have won four matches whereas the match against Sri Lanka was abandoned due to rain.
The Kenyans, on the other hand, are not in the best of forms. They have lost all four matches of this tournament and will be hoping for a reverse in fortunes.
Key players
Doug Bollinger’s injury seems like a blessing in disguise for the Aussies as Michael Hussey, who was initially dropped from the squad because of a hamstring injury, has rejoined the outfit and is raring to go in this World Cup. Mitchell Johnson has been bowling with great venom. He’ll be hoping to continue doing that.
Over at the Kenyan camp, Steve Tikolo is an experienced campaigner and the young Kenyan cricketers look up to him. He’ll be looking to inspire them in this match. Tanmay Mishra played well against Canada and will be hoping to do something similar in this game.
Australia: (probable XI)
Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(wicket-keeper), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza/ Steve Smith, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait.
Kenya: (probable XI)
Maurice Ouma (wicket-keeper), Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Jimmy Kamande (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Shem Ngoche, Elijah Otieno.
The Aussies will go into the match as the clear favourites. Their recent form has been outstanding and with the inclusion of veteran batsman Michael Hussey their batting line-up looks more solid than ever.
But the biggest threat to the Kenyan side is from their fast bowling. The Kangaroos’ pace battery consisting of Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Brett Lee is probably the best in the tournament.
Kenyan batsman Seren Waters is wary of the opposition’s pace bowlers. “I don't think there is another attack in the world comparable to that. They've got three of the quickest bowlers in the world and they're coming one after the other, so there's no real respite. It's going to be an experience,” he said.
However, the batsman is confident that his side will perform well against the Kangaroos. Kenya has so far, failed to show any resistance to the Test-playing teams in their group.
The right-hand batsman was very realistic in his approach to the game and said, “We’d hope to give Australia a good game. Winning would be something you'd probably dream about. Realistically, having seen the way we've played so far, it's probably something not many people are expecting. But to give them a good game is our target.”
The pitch at Bangalore is more suited to batsmen and out of three matches played there in this World Cup, two have seen both teams scoring more than 300 runs.
Team form
Considering the form of the players this is a total mismatch. The Aussies are ranked number one in the world in One Day Internationals (ODIs). They may not be as strong in Tests as they were a couple of years ago, but in ODIs, they are still the top rated. They defeated arch-rivals England 6-1 in a home series in January and are undefeated in this edition of the World Cup. From the last five, they have won four matches whereas the match against Sri Lanka was abandoned due to rain.
The Kenyans, on the other hand, are not in the best of forms. They have lost all four matches of this tournament and will be hoping for a reverse in fortunes.
Key players
Doug Bollinger’s injury seems like a blessing in disguise for the Aussies as Michael Hussey, who was initially dropped from the squad because of a hamstring injury, has rejoined the outfit and is raring to go in this World Cup. Mitchell Johnson has been bowling with great venom. He’ll be hoping to continue doing that.
Over at the Kenyan camp, Steve Tikolo is an experienced campaigner and the young Kenyan cricketers look up to him. He’ll be looking to inspire them in this match. Tanmay Mishra played well against Canada and will be hoping to do something similar in this game.
Australia: (probable XI)
Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin(wicket-keeper), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza/ Steve Smith, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait.
Kenya: (probable XI)
Maurice Ouma (wicket-keeper), Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Jimmy Kamande (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Shem Ngoche, Elijah Otieno.
