ICC CWCQ: Kenya cap off home tournament with brutal defeat to Papua New Guinea
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 05.10.24. | 22:00
Lameck Onyango's side end the first round with four points after two losses and three defeats
Kenya men’s national cricket team fell to their third loss of the now concluded ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League A first round after losing by one wicket to visiting Papua New Guinea at the Nairobi Gymkhana Grounds on Saturday afternoon.
The unresolved failures from the recent past were on show again for Lameck Onyango’s side as they dropped an astonishing five catches in a frantic second innings to reel in the Barramundis to their fourth win of the tournament.
After winning the toss, Papua New Guinea opted to bowl first, restricting Kenya to a fighting score of 258 for the loss of nine wickets.
To his credit, former skipper Rakep Patel did his best to save Kenya’s blushes, as he scored a 104-ball 91 to almost sweep under the carpet a three-wicket blitz by PNG in two overs.
The early signs for a shocker - if indeed it was - manifested themselves when opener Pushkar Sharma (39 off 45 balls) was dropped in the 12th over, paving the way for Sese Bau and skipper Assad Vala to further decimate the Kenyan batting unit.
Gondaria was dismissed for 35, while Rushab Patel, who steered Kenya to a win over Qatar on Friday, left for a duck.
Rakep partnered up with Sachin Gill (42 off 47 balls) late on to stack the scores, with Sachin Bhudia and Lucas Oluoch combining in a near last-ditch effort with a couple of boundaries.
In response, the faces of concern were evident on the field as Kenya once again - and maybe for a third time all tournament - found a way to sabotage themselves by leaking runs in the second innings.
Player-of-the-match Bau put up 74, while Vala had his 62-ball 63 to put the game beyond doubt.
Also part of the PNG party was Hirir Hiri (29) and Kiplin Doriga (28), who aided the run-chase with three balls left.
With the result, Papua New Guinea, secured a second-place finish - tied on points with leaders Jersey but with a lesser net-run-rate - while Kenya were left content with fourth place.
