Kenya face Uganda in pivotal ICC Intercontinental Cup clash

Kenya begins its ICC Intercontinental Cup campaign against Uganda in Nairobi today (23 July), in what is shaping up as a pivotal match in the Africa region.

Uganda, which recorded an earlier victory against Namibia in April, is one win away from securing a semi-final berth as the highest-placed team from the African pool group.

Kenya meanwhile, will be seeking to post a victory in its opening game of the tournament to draw it level with Uganda on matches won, and be in a strong position to qualify for the finals when it hosts Namibia from 1-3 October.

Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo said his team, which holds One-Day International status, welcomed the opportunity to develop their skills in first-class cricket.

"I think it is a good idea to have this tournament because it gives the countries outside the Test arena the chance to play the longer version of the game," said Tikolo.

"I hope today's match will be played in the cricketing spirit, and may the best team win."

Uganda captain Kwebiha Junior said participating in the ICC Intercontinental Cup had helped develop the game in his country.

"The ICC Intercontinental Cup has definitely improved the quality of cricket in Uganda, and we are grateful to the ICC for considering us to be involved," he said.

"We know the Kenyans are an experienced side so we will look to play our best and also seek to learn from them in this match."

The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a new tournament for ICC Associate Member countries, and sees the introduction of a first-class competition for countries below Test match level.

With innovative playing conditions including a points system specifically created for the event, the ICC Intercontinental Cup gives players the chance to develop their skills in the longer version of the game, and assist in the progression to the next level of competition.

Teams receive 14 points for a win plus any bonus points accumulated, while teams that draw or lose a match receive only their bonus points. Only in the event of a tie will teams pick up seven additional points.

Bonus points can be accumulated in both innings with a maximum of six batting points per innings awarded on the basis of 0.5 points for every 25 runs scored up to 300 runs. A maximum of five bowling points are available per innings allocated at 0.5 points per wicket taken.

To encourage teams to play for a result, the first innings of each side is restricted to 90 overs unless the team batting first does not use its 90 overs in which case the team batting second can bat for its 90 overs plus the overs short of 90 not used by the team batting first.

A minimum of 105 overs must be bowled on the opening two days of the match.

The top-ranked team from the matches played in the four regions will progress to the semi-finals and finals in the United Arab Emirates in November.

Nepal (42 points), Uganda (32), Ireland (30) and the USA (47) currently lead their respective regions - Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup is part of the High Performance arm of the ICC's Development Program launched in 1997 to develop cricket as a global sport.

Since its inception, the Development Program has helped the number of ICC members increase by over 40 in the past seven years. The ICC now has 92 member countries; 10 Full, 27 Associate and 55 Affiliate members.

The remaining schedule for the ICC Intercontinental Cup is:

23 to 25 July Uganda v Kenya Nairobi 6 to 8 August Ireland v Scotland Ireland 13 to 15 August Canada v Bermuda Toronto, Canada 13 to 15 August Malaysia v UAE Kuala Lumpur 1 to 3 October Kenya v Namibia Nairobi 16-23 November Semi-Finals and Finals UAE

For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup, including scorecards, averages and points tables, visit the ICC's new website at www.icc-cricket.com.