ICC CWCQ: Kenya looking to get 'basics right' after tough lessons in Denmark defeat

Kenya men’s national cricket team captain Shem Ngoche believes his squad has got to get its “basics right” to avoid another defeat in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League A matches.

Kenya on Sunday 29 September suffered its first defeat in the 2027 ICC World Cup qualifiers, falling by four wickets to a resilient Denmark side that batted valiantly in the second innings to reach the hosts’ target of 268 runs with three balls left.

ICC CWCQ: Kenya falls to Denmark in dramatic second innings

The defeat left a sour taste in the skipper's mouth, who expressed some concerns with how the team executed the game and ended up losing to a side that had prior to that win, been winless in the competition.

“We set a fighting score in our innings but then started so poorly with the ball, giving away too many boundaries,” Ngoche, who picked a wicket in a frantic second-innings said post-game.

With backs against the wall, Kenya managed to provide a nervy finish to the game, thanks to some impressive yet economical fieldwork, taking the tie to the very last balls.

However, needing to restrict Denmark to under 20 runs in three overs, a slew of errors were witnessed as both Rakep and Vraj Patel dropped crucial catches, while bowler Sachin Gill gave up an extra and a boundary to snatch defeat from what seemed like the jaws of victory.

“The dropped catches there at the end could have made a difference,” Ngoche said, adding that a “better job” with the new ball was necessary going forward.

The effort from the Kenyan batters in recovering from a 20-2 score to seeing all of Sachin Bhudia, Rakep Patel, and opener Pushkar Sharma score 50 plus, was as per Ngoche, the only positive to build on.

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“It was (recovery) still a good effort and a big motivation for me to know that we can still do it,” he said.

Kenya begins their busy week on Wednesday 2 October when they take on Kuwait at the Ruaraka Sports Club.