Kenya will 'rise again', says Mishra

Tanmay Mishra has promised Kenya "will rise again" as an already difficult World Cup for the Africans is set to become even tougher when they face champions Australia on Sunday.

The 2003 semifinalists, starved of international competition outside of World Cups, have been well beaten in all four of their group matches so far.

It's all a far cry from their fairytale run to the last four eight years ago and middle-order batsman Mishra said: "A lack of regular cricket at the highest level has been our downfall."

"It's a bit frustrating but we can't do anything about it," he added at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Kenya will face Australia at the weekend.

"There's nothing much really to add to that because you can't really play cricket at associate level and then come up and try to compete against the big boys. It's a challenge as it is. It's just a lack of fixtures."

Ireland, who have several players taking part in the English County Championship, have led the way for the non-Test sides, beating England and running both co-hosts Bangladesh especially and India close.

"We're going through a transition period," said 24-year-old Mishra. "If you look at it we've got a lot of youngsters including myself."

"The structures are being put in place. To be honest it's a bit late, but it's getting in place right now, we're redeveloping everything, cricket is spreading, we just have to give it time."

"In the next three or four years, this team will rise up again and we'll continue to fight hard and provide success for Kenya."

To make matters worse for the Africans, though, their most recent match saw them lose by five wickets to fellow non-Test side Canada in Delhi on Monday - the match that appeared Kenya's most 'winnable' game of this World Cup.

Mumbai-born Mishra made 51 but could do nothing about the clatter of wickets at the other end.

"We haven't done well, our top order hasn't really connected," Mishra said.

"We spoke about it and now we've got Australia and we've just still got to stay positive do the basics right. We've got to bat 50 overs and bat them positively, not just bat them.

"It (the Canada defeat) was a really difficult one to swallow. It was just the top-order collapsed and we were 57 for five.

"Australia are the world champions and they are 31 games unbeaten at the World Cup so it will be difficult but hopefully we can come up and give a good show," Mishra added.