Kenyan captain Aasif Karim on his team's World Cup prospects
Tony Munro - 21 May 1999

Kenya captain, Aasif Karim, believes insufficient exposure since the last World Cup is haunting his team's ability to compile big innings in this year's event. "We have only played 25 one-day internationals since the last World Cup. They don't know how to go on with it once they get established."

"It's lack of experience - they start well and get into the 30s and 40s and when the hard work has been done they take the wrong approach and get out.

"It's very important the top order guys have big innings so the middle and lower order guys don't have to come out under pressure and have to score runs," Karim said.

He said this was crucial considering his team's bowling attack.

"We're having to work out different formulae in what we need to score. We have to look at 250 to 280 runs plus," Karim continued.

He said the team was buoyant after the first two matches.

"We're disappointed but two of the three teams we play are struggling a bit," Karim said, referring to India and Sri Lanka.

Now that he is there, Karim said in hindsight, he would liked one change to the preparation.

"We probably should have had a tour here in the past year or two."

He cited Ravindu Shah as his best performer.

Karim is philosophical about his team's progress on the world stage.

"We have to go through this phase - the West Indies did it in the '30s, India and Pakistan did it in the 50's and Sri Lanka did until '96.