AfricaPress-Tanzania: NATIONAL cricket coach, Kenyan Steve Tikolo is working hard for the national team players to have an ability of scoring more than 250 runs in a 50-over match.
This will enable the players be competent enough to play against well drilled sides in the likes of Kenya, Namibia and South Africa in the international competitions.
Tanzania has had unimpressive participation in major ICC tournament, including World Cup Qualifiers, failing to score highest level of runs.
Tikolo, who is the only player to have appeared in all 23 of Kenya’s matches in ICC World Cups, scoring 724 runs, said that he is currently focusing on how his boys could be able to achieve that.
“It needs a regular training in batting, the main problem which faces most of my players,” “This is the reason why I take a lot of time in part of my daily’s trainings just focusing on batting”, said Tikolo, who made his One-Day International (ODI) debut against India in the 1996’s ICC World Cup.
Tikolo was caught up yesterday by the ‘Daily News’, training his Under-19 players on how to bat at Dar es Salaam Leaders Club.
In what seems to make sure that Tikolo’s idea is fully achieved, the Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) has organised the so-called ‘Elite League’ that will involve four teams comprising 64 players of national team players and those who excel in their career to compete in 50-over matches starting this weekend.
Tikolo said each team will play nine matches to make sure that the players score the target.
“When I was coaching Uganda and other countries, I used to see the lowest pace of Tanzanian players, who could rarely be able to chase the highest score set by an opponent side,” “Uganda was also facing the same problem, but I worked hard to improve that and this is the same thing which I work hard on here in Tanzania,” Tanzania is looking forward to competing in several ICC major tournaments next year.
Among others, the senior T20 World Cup Qualifiers- African region is expected to be held in South Africa and the Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers expected to be held in June in Dar es Salaam.
