Cricket: Leverock Reflects On Match vs Kenya
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Bermuda captain Kamau Leverock says his teammates must learn from their mistakes after a six-wicket defeat against Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B in Uganda yesterday.
Kenya required fewer than 20 overs to chase down Bermuda’s total of 107 runs on a flat wicket, slumping from 74 for three to 75 for six, losing three wickets in the nineteenth over, including Leverock, top-scoring with 29 off 35 balls.
With seven of Bermuda’s starting XI debutants, Leverock admits it always promised to be a steep learning curve for those new faces unfamiliar with the intensity of the international level.
“It was a learning curve for everyone,” Leverock told Bernews. “It’s a very young team. Hopefully, they learn from the mistakes they made.
“A couple of the lads might have underestimated this level. It was a definite eye-opener for them to see what they must do to compete.”
Leverock, who won the toss and elected to bat, felt his team’s total was 100 runs short of a competitive score against a team as talented as Kenya.
Seam bowlers Elijah Otieno, who took five wickets, and Bundi Ringera, who ripped the heart out of Bermuda’s innings, claiming three scalps in one over, did the brunt of the damage claiming nine wickets between them.
“When you go from 70-odd for three to 107 all out, it’s not going to end well,” Leverock said. “[Losing] three wickets in one over killed off the game for us. You can’t really recover from that. Hopefully, it gets better going forward.”
Leverock has also demanded more from himself and believes he needs to convert his 20s and 30s into big scores in his new role batting at No 4.
“I’ve been in pretty decent nick all season,” he added. “With this new role, I have to figure out my temperament better and turn that decent start into something big.
“The pitch was relatively flat, and we should have been able to take advantage of that.
“Bowling was never going to be the issue for us. It was all about putting runs on the board.”
Bermuda return to action on Tuesday when they face hosts Uganda, the League B leaders, who suffered a first defeat against Jersey on Friday.
Uganda remain top, having won all five of their matches in the first round of games in 2019. Bermuda are rooted to the bottom of the table, having lost all six games.
The group winners go into a play-off with the winners of ICC Challenge League A for a place at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
“Kenya would have probably been the easiest game, so it’s going to be a big challenge moving forward,” Leverock added. “Our guys know what they’re up against now they’ve dipped their toes in the water. Hopefully, they can react well.
“Luckily for us, this new format is five games over ten days rather than five over six. It’s a bit better for the amateur cricketer.
“The guys have taken some solace from being brand new to the team. No one is overly discouraged by what happened.
“These young players are pretty fearless and believe in their ability.”
