HK batsmen fail to set strong total as Kenya scrape victory

Kenya, missing banned skipper Collins Obuya, still had enough firepower to scrape through to a narrow three-wicket victory over Hong Kong in the second and last warm-up game before the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers get under way in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

A day after posting 200 runs against Denmark in an emphatic 140-run victory, Hong Kong's batsmen went back to their old ways and were bowled out for 99 against Kenya, one of the top-ranked sides in the 16-team tournament, which will unearth the six qualifiers to join the test-playing nations at next year's World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

"We batted poorly but at the same time showed a lot of fight on the field with our bowling and fielding. Unfortunately, the target we set wasn't enough," said Hong Kong coach Charlie Burke.

Kenya squeezed through to victory with one ball to spare, reaching 103 for seven, with Irfan Karim leading the way with a top-score of 37. Karim had returned from a one-match ban having been involved in an altercation with his skipper Obuya, who was banned for two matches by Cricket Kenya.

The inconsistency of the batsmen will be a worry for Hong Kong, who begin the first of the seven group matches when they take on Italy on Friday in Abu Dhabi. Only four batsmen reached double figures.

A promising opening stand between Irfan Ahmed and Nizakat Khan - 34 in four overs - was squandered as the rest of the batting, including left-hander Mark Chapman playing his first game for Hong Kong in more than a year, failed to set a healthy target.