ICC CWCQ: Rushab Patel steers Kenya to victory over Qatar

Kenya men’s national cricket team rebounded from back-to-back defeats with a 3-wicket victory over Qatar in their penultimate game of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League A first round at the Nairobi Gymkhana Grounds on Friday.

The hosts, who embarrassingly lost to Kuwait on Wednesday, needed a strong second innings to reach Qatar’s target of 163, which they did inside 35 overs for their second win of the tournament.

ICC CWCQ: Hapless Kenya suffer another defeat after Kuwait walloping

The player-of-the-match award went to Kenyan batter Rushab Patel, who despite seeing his partners fall to the fierce Qatari bowling, scored an impressive 63 (not-out) to slowly but steadily lead his team to victory.

Having won the toss, the winless visitors tried their luck with batting first, but later saw both of their openers - Kamran Khan and Imal Liyanage - dismissed inside the first four overs.

Shakir Ali (12) and Muhammad Ikramullah (68-ball 42) did their part to solidify their totals when they came onto the crease, but the former was dropped with a ball left to the 13th over.

A two-wicket blitz in the 16th over didn’t help the Qataris also, as Sachin Gill went on a rampage to take two of his three wickets in consecutive balls.

Lower-order batsmen Assad Borham (23) and Amir Farooq (61-ball 36) proved hard-nuts to crack for the hosts who were avoiding another bowling capitulation, only for the former to exit the crease in the 41st over.

Farooq would follow later in the 47th over after being bowled out by Gill, while Gerrard Muthui, in his second List A match, forced last man Mohammed Nadeem to a shot that was gathered by Sachin Bhudia.

'My moment in the sun was soiled by loss' - Kenyan bowler Gerrard Muthui

In reply, Kenya’s openers Pushkar Sharma (39-ball 35) and Dhiren Gondaria (16) played their part in chasing the low score, but it was the experience and patience of Rushab that played a big role, whenever the Qataris looked to make inroads.

There was certainly tension when all of Irfan Karim (4), Bhudia (7) and Rakep Patel (1) were taken out in a span of eight overs, but needing three more wickets to astonishingly close the deal, Lucas Oluoch smashed a four and a six to wrap up the sought-after victory.

Lamech Onyango’s side will now seek to end their tournament on a high when they play Papua New Guinea at the same grounds on Saturday.