|
Kenya register easy win over Canada
Kenya emerged victorious against Canada in the war of underdogs at the Beausejour Stadium, St. Lucia. Showing a brilliant all-round performance, Kenya defeated Canada by seven wickets to start off their World Cup 2007 campaign on a high note.
Ably led by skipper Steve Tikolo, the Kenyans displayed their mostly-underrated brilliance, and will now be taken seriously by fellow Group C contenders England and New Zealand.
Winning the toss, Kenya put the Canadians to bat first. By virtue of impressive performances by bowlers Tikolo (2-34) and Kamande (2-25), Kenya were able to contain Canada within 200 runs. Geoff Barnett (41), Ian Billclif (34) and Sunil Dhaniram (34) were the star performers for Canada. Other players were unable to sustain the surmounting pressure and kept falling at regular intervals.
With a modest target to chase, Kenya did not waste any time in hitting out at the opposition from the word go. Opener Maurice Ouma started off in great fashion, making 58 runs in 89 balls. His shots all across the ground left cricket fans awestruck - he hit seven fours and one six in the innings.
In the middle order, the Kenyan ship was steadied by captain Tikolo and Tanmay Mishra, who were both unbeaten on 72 and 35 respectively. Tikolo's 72 came off just 76 balls - he too made Canadian fielders toil hard on the field.
In Group C, Canada and Kenya will now play against England and New Zealand respectively.
Brief Score: Kenya 203/3 (Tikolo 72*, Ouma 58) vs. Canada 199 (Barnett 41)
Result: Kenya won by seven wickets
Man of the Match: Steve Tikolo
For latest updates of Cricket World Cup, check the following links:
Cricket World Cup Team Points
World Cup Match Results
World Cup Highlights
Group C Points
|
