Kenya coach delighted with win and performance in difficult ICC Intercontinental Cup victory over Canada

Kenya's interim coach Alfred Boi Njuguna has hailed his team's performance in a difficult ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Canada and has urged his boys to maintain the same standards in the upcoming matches.

Kenya put behind it the let-down of two sub-standard displays at September's ICC World Twenty20 by brushing aside Canada by nine wickets in Nairobi inside three days to collect a maximum 20 points in its tournament opener.

And reflecting on the success, Njuguna said: "It was an important game for the team for more than one reason and I am delighted that it shrugged aside everything to put up a performance which can make any coach proud.

"While we were keen to put up a good performance in the longer version of the game, it was a difficult match for the team as it went without the influential figure of Roger Harper whose presence was always felt in the dressing room.

"Also, we were determined to avenge for last year's 25-run defeat against Canada in Canada and I am glad that the boys came good to show that they were mentally tough besides begin highly talented," Njuguna said.

After Canada won the toss and elected to bat first, Kenya did well to bowl the visitors out for 263, thanks to off-spinner Jimmy Kamande's 4-56. Then Thomas Odoyo, who earlier this year was named as the ICC Associate ODI Player of the Year, led the home team's reply by stroking a maiden first-class century that steered Kenya to 393.

Canada, which went into this match after routing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a thumping margin of an innings and 228 runs in July, failed to break Kenya's domination in the second innings when it was bowled out for 229 with the home side's captain Steve Tikolo picking up 4-34. The rampant Kenyans then took just 20.2 overs to race to the 100-run target to conjure up a comfortable victory.

Njuguna said his team made victory appear straightforward because of solid tactics and execution. "Familiar home conditions gave us an advantage but we made victory look easy because we stuck to the game plan which was to bowl as straight as possible and bat as long as possible.

"It was a flat wicket and the only way we could get 20 wickets to win the match was by forcing the batsmen into mistakes by making them play. At the same time, we knew that if we succeeded in occupying the crease, the runs would come."

Njuguna was full of praise for Odoyo and 19-year-old Alex Obanda. "There couldn't have been a better occasion for Odoyo to take the responsibility and score his maiden first-class century," he said.

"It was a quality innings that showed his promise and potential.

"I was also pleased with the temperament and stroke selection of Obanda. I think his innings of 83 from 70 balls was important because it gave the team momentum for a substantial first innings score. This boy has a bright future," he added.

The Kenya coach agreed that a winning start had given his team a good confidence booster and hoped his team would also succeed in pocketing another 20 points when it faces Bermuda in the familiar Nairobi Gymkhana conditions from 1 to 4 November.

"We have set good standards for ourselves but to maintain that we will have to work harder," he said.

"I have reminded my boys not to get complacent or not to get carried away by the fact that Bermuda is a lowly-placed team.

"Our objective is to be the top Associate country and we can only achieve that by rigorous training and continuous hard work.

"Obviously, we will target for maximum points against Bermuda which will put us in a very good position in this tournament. All we need to do is to believe in ourselves, stick to basics and cash in on whatever opportunity that comes our way," Njuguna said.

Canada's highlights in the match were excellent half centuries by captain Sunil Dhaniram (78), 36-year-old debutant Arvind Kandappah (87) and Trevin Bastiampillai (63), a sound all-round performance by left-armer Umar Bhatti (57 and 5-75) and good bowling by spinner Qaiser Ali (4-61).

Canada faces Namibia in its fourth match of this edition of the tournament at the Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek from 25 to 28 October.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006/07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007/08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be decided.