ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

KENYA v AFGHANISTAN With a place in the final already secure, Afghanistan introduced three new players at first-class level. Despite losing Javed Ahmadi in the seventh over, they batted freely as Mohammad Shahzad chose to score mainly in boundaries, whilst Karim Sadiq played, for him, a surprisingly subdued innings. They added 104 for the second wicket in just over 22 overs. Mohammad Shahzad’s 72 came at a strike rate of 105.8 but, with his dismissal, a slight collapse occurred, three wickets falling for 31 runs. Nawroz Mangal proceeded to take charge for the rest of the day, adding 61 with Mohammad Nabi, 93 with Samiullah Shenwari and an undefeated 137 with Mirwais Ashraf. The Afghan strike rate for the day was 78.8. Compared to the first day, when the bowlers struggled to take wickets, the second day saw 19 wickets fall with only 350 runs scored. Nawroz Mangal failed to add to his overnight total and lasted only two balls before being run out. Elijah Otieno then took the remaining three wickets whilst Afghanistan added only 24 more runs. Although newcomer Izatullah Dawlatzai conceded 23 runs in his three overs, Kenya had no answer to the rest of Afghanistan’s attack, particularly the pace of Hamid Hassan who took five wickets in his thirteen overs, demolishing Kenya’s upper and middle order. Kenya fared no better against the leg spin of Samiullah Shenwari who accounted for Seren Waters and the tail. Only Waters put up much resilience. He was the lead player with Collins Obuya, the pair putting on 58 for the second wicket, and with Ragheb Aga in a partnership of 57 for the seventh wicket. Kenya were 304 runs behind on the first innings. Afghanistan also found run-scoring hard, more so than in their first innings, but they made a better attempt at it than Kenya. Javed Ahmadi reached his half-century, his 55 coming at a strike rate of 93.2, and put on 66 with Nawroz Mangal for the third wicket, before falling to James Ngoche. Afghanistan lost a further wicket before stumps but by then had a virtually unassailable lead of 470 runs. Ngoche and Otieno, off spin and pace respectively, ensured that no Afghan batsman settled on the third morning, the last five wickets falling for the addition of only 41 runs. However, this was enough to set the home side an unlikely 512 to win the match. The start was bad, with Waters falling to Hamid Hassan after six balls, but thereafter Kenya did enough to worry Afghanistan, despite losing wickets every time the threat that they might succeed was looking serious. David Obuya provided the necessary anchor in partnerships of 90 with his brother, Collins Obuya, and 99 with Steve Tikolo. It was typical of Kenya’s luck that neither partnership reached one hundred. Nevertheless, Afghanistan were forced to try seven bowlers. When David Obuya and Tikolo departed in quick succession, Afghanistan had the upper hand with the Kenyan score on 210 for four. Maurice Ouma continued Kenya’s resistance in partnerships of 59 with Rakep Patel and 53 with Thomas Odoyo but, just before the close, Mohammad Nabi induced Ouma to give a catch to Karim Sadiq. Kenya now had little chance of saving the game. At stumps they were still 187 runs behind with only the lower order to accompany Odoyo. Only just over eight overs were needed on the final morning for Afghanistan to secure victory. The pace of Hamid Hassan was too much for Kenya’s tail; he bowled Nehemiah Odhiambo and Ngoche and had Aga and Otieno leg-before-wicket. These wickets gave him a match return of 11 for 157. Afghanistan thus progressed to the final unbeaten in the competition. 218 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10