NAIROBI - Kenya will tour Pakistan to play five one-day matches as part of their build-up ahead of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2, planned for January 2015 in Windhoek, Namibia. Head coach Steve Tikolo said Monday that security concerns in Pakistan was the only stumbling block for the trip to materialise, reports Xinhua.
"It is true plans are afoot for Kenya to play Pakistan. However, we are yet to complete the planning of the trip. Cricket Kenya (CK) is in talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and we hope it will end well," Tikolo said. Tikolo confirmed that Pakistan had already sent their planned tour programme for Kenya and they are due to arrive in Karachi Nov 20 and proceed to Lahore where they will play five matches against Pakistan A.
The first three matches will be played in Lahore Nov 22, 23 and 25 at Gaddafi Stadium while the other two matches will be played Nov 27 and 28 in Faisalabad. This invite, according to Tikolo, is a privilege for the side as the Kenyan team will get the right exposure from Pakistan, which is one of the top ranked sides in the world.
"It is a big chance for CK and we are thankful for PCB for making it possible. This will be best for us this time as this match practice will help us for the January event against a high standard of opposition," Tikolo said. The coach also confirmed that Kenya plans to play build-up matches against Namibia and Zimbabwe later in November and December, respectively. The ICC league will be played between Jan 17-24, 2015. The host side will be joined by Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and the top two teams promoted from Division 3 in the six-team round-robin event.
"The five games will provide invaluable experience for the players. Most of the selected players in the Pakistan A side will be using the matches to try and force their way into the main team set up ahead of the World Cup," said Tikolo.