Ireland can not afford any slip-ups

CRICKET IRELAND v KENYA preview

KENYA (Squad): S Tikolo (capt), J Kamande, A Luseno, A Obanda, D Obuya , K Obuya, N Odhiambo, T Odoyo, P Ongondo, L Onyango, E Otieno, M Ouma, R Patel, O Suji, H Varaiya, S Waters.

IRELAND (Squad): W Porterfield (Gloucestershire, capt), A Botha (North County), P Connell (North Down), A Cusack (Clontarf), P Eaglestone (Strabane), T Johnston (Railway Union), K McCallan (Waringstown), J Mooney (North County), K O’Brien (Railway Union), N O’Brien (Northants, wkts), A Poynter (Clontarf), B Rankin (Warwickshire), R West (Civil Service North), A White (Instonians), G Wilson (Surrey).

Intercontinental Cup Table

PWLDAPts

Namibia76000108

Kenya6410196

Ireland6402086

Scotland 7312182

Netherlands7340048

UAE7151029

Canada7151029

Bermuda7160026

IRELAND KNOW that there is no further room for slip-ups in what is effectively an Intercontinental Cup semi-final clash with Kenya, which gets under way in Nairobi today.

Phil Simmons’s side got out of jail last weekend against Namibia to keep up their hopes of a final showdown against the same side in the South African city of Port Elizabeth at the end of the month.

Ireland have certainly perfected the art of not losing in the four-day competition, their eight-run victory last weekend making it 14 without defeat, stretching back to August 2004.

Their bid to make it a third title on the trot requires them to take a full 20 points against Kenya; 14 for the win and six for a lead after the first innings.

Kenya enjoy a 10-point lead over Ireland, which in turn could see the home side adapt a negative approach, knowing a draw is enough for them to book a final clash against Namibia.

Opening bowler Peter Connell is well aware Kenya hold all the aces going into the match, but is hopeful their approach may backfire.

“It will be a flat track and all they have to do is defend and shut the game out.

“Hopefully we can take advantage of their negative outlook, but I think it will go four days and we will need to play well,” remarked the North Down player, who took the man-of-the-match honours with eight wickets against Namibia.

Boyd Rankin was the other star performer in that game, claiming seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul as Ireland bowled Namibia out for 106 in their second innings.

Ireland skipper William Porterfield is confident he and his fellow top-order batsmen won’t capitulate as they did in their first innings against the Namibians.

“We can’t go lower than 69 and we will improve. We didn’t apply ourselves and didn’t show enough patience,” said Porterfield, who made an unbeaten century in the one-wicket loss to Kenya at last year’s World Cricket League in Nairobi.

Seven of that side are likely to line out again today, while five of the team that earned Ireland’s first Intercontinental Cup with a brilliant six-wicket win over Kenya back in 2005 will add considerable experience in undertaking what looks a tough task.