Kenya’s new national cricket coach Eldine Baptiste has set targets for himself ahead of the 2011 World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The coach is confident the country can revive its glory within the two year period he will be with the team and said that while his focus will be to ensure Kenya posts good results in the World Cup and remerge as the top Associate, he will also concentrate on the junior teams.

“I want to watch and learn how things work here and quickly move things. I want to see that the development programme is right because that is what we will have to build on. If I get two or three players going into the World Cup from those programmes, that will be a good thing,” he said.

”It is a great privilege and honour to be in Kenya. I know the cricket is not what it used to be but I want to achieve a winning team. I will personally take charge in identifying young players and the selection of the players into the national team, and hopefully, we will put Kenya back as the number one in the Associates,” he added.

Baptiste said that he will work mostly on the basics of cricket with both the national and junior team to make the team the best among the Associates.

“Cricket is played by those who do the right basics. If you have the basics right then all will be fine and we will be find ourselves where we were some years back. It will be bad of me to sit out there and claim to be the national team coach while I don’t know what is happening at the grass roots. I will be part of the development programme.” he said.

“I will work on having the same system that the national team works on being the same as the ones with development. Having the same system will be better as it will make the teams be uniform on basics, tactics and game plans,” he said.

Baptiste, who held an informal meeting with the national team players a day after jetting in the country, said Kenya has the best players but what is lacking is the ability by most of them to play to their full potential.

“I have followed Kenya cricket for a long time, even before they defeated West Indies in the 1996 World Cup in India. I also remember them coming to play in South Africa while I was still a player with the provincial sides there and I feel Kenya has potential even better than other countries but what they need to do is to try and play to their potential. So I am here to guide them, help them and make sure they achieve there goals. And for sure their goal is to be the best,” he said.

The coach said he will also look at increasing the pool of players so that the level of competition in the team will be high.

As a player, Baptiste played alongside Steve Tikolo whom he referred as a top player that he feels honoured to work with. Tikolo played for Border in the South African domestic league.

He challenged the players to develop hunger for success throughout their matches as this is what will make them show the world what they are made of.

“We need to be the best in the Associates and then show the world what we are made of by performing well against them. It’s not about fearing the international sides when you play them but it’s about respecting them and showing them your best,” he said.

Ireland is the top ranked country for the last two years since hiring another West Indian, Phil Simmons, in 2007 but Baptiste said he is not under any pressure to follow his footsteps.

“I am not here to do what Simmons has done; I have sent my own standards which are: as a team we want to win and be the best. By doing that we might be better than Ireland. We have to be a team as cricket is not an individual sport. What my colleague Simmons has done is commendable and we can do that and even better if we all pull in one direction,” he said.

Baptiste’s first assignment will be next month when the team tours Zimbabwe for the Intercontinental Cup and five ODI matches.

Cricket Kenya Chief Executive Officer Tom Tikolo who was also present in the briefing said the coach will be given all the support he requires to steer Kenya to greater heights in the sport.

“During the interview he singled out things that really impressed us. He mentioned that he is a winner and that is what we want. However we will have to give him all the support for him to achieve his goals.” Tikolo said, adding that Cricket Kenya have formed a committee that will solely look into the welfare of the national team.