Kenya’s cricket team woke up on Tuesday to find itself on the front pages of every newspaper paper in the East African nation following its spectacular 53-run victory over Sri Lanka in the World Cup.
But team manager Mehmood Quraishy promised that the team will keep its feet firmly on the ground as it heads to South Africa for its next match against Bangladesh on Saturday.
”We are not going to be overconfident, we are going to take each and every game very seriously and the boys are very focused,” Quraishy said. ”I’m going to tie the boys’ legs to the ground I can assure you.”
Kenya beat Sri Lanka — who were unbeaten in three games before arriving in Nairobi — after making 210 for nine in its 50 overs and then bowling out the 1996 champions for 157 with five overs to spare. Leg spinner Collins Obuya, 21, destroyed the Sri Lankan’s batting by taking five for 24 in his 10 overs and received the man of the match award from Kenyan track great Kip Keino.
The victory was witnessed by Vice President Michael Wamalwa, two other government ministers and some 6 000 cheering supporters who packed into the Nairobi Gymkhana ground.
”Joy as Kenya cricket stars stun Sri Lanka,” the Daily Nation said on its front page.
”The whole atmosphere was berserk, I still can’t believe it, to be honest,” Quraishy told The Associated Press.
The victory puts Kenya in the unlikely position of sharing top spot with Sri Lanka in Group B with 12 points. The East Africans, who are playing in their third World Cup, lost to South Africa in their first match by 10 wickets, then beat Canada by four wickets. The team gained an extra four points when New Zealand refused to play in Kenya because of security concerns. If Kenya beats Bangladesh, the team will be well placed to reach the World Cup’s second round for the first time. Its last pool match is against the West Indies.
New Zealand’s decision not only gave Kenya valuable points, but it also raised the profile of the game in the East African nation where soccer is by far the most popular sport.
New Zealand’s boycott put the game in the spotlight, said veteran allrounder Maurice Odumbe, who bowled Dilhara Fernando to end the Sri Lankan innings and made 26 valuable runs.
”People were wondering who are these 15 people (the Kenyan squad),” he said. Kenyans insisted there were no security problems in the relatively peaceful nation of 30-million, and many took New Zealand’s decision as an insult to the country.
”People were disgusted that New Zealand did not come here,” said businessman Moses Mbugua, while enjoying a beer to celebrate the victory over Sri Lanka. ”It was a spectacular game. It was charged … they played with their hearts.”
Former skipper Odumbe was man-of-the-match when Kenya famously beat the West Indies in the 1996 World Cup. In that game, Odumbe took three wickets for 16 runs as the East Africans bowled out the West Indies for 93 to win by 73 runs.
But Odumbe said Monday’s win was better, because in 1996 ”nobody” in Kenya knew what cricket was. ”Everybody is very cheerful, everybody is just excited,” he said about the team.
But he warned that the game against Bangladesh could be the team’s toughest because of the rivalry between the two sides.
Bangladesh was awarded test status in 2000, while the Kenyan team, which believes it should be playing test cricket, has yet to be elevated to the top rung of international cricket. Kenya has won five of its six one-day matches against Bangladesh, Quraishy said.
And after Monday’s victory, the team can be sure that all Kenya will be rooting for the side.
”It (Monday’s win) is an achievement. It puts us somewhere,” said interior designer Sam Mchuki. ”I knew there was going to be something special. In Kenya there is a feeling of miracles; this year has changed, we can even win the Olympics, the World Cup. The political situation has given us new energy.”
Many Kenyans have been on a high since an opposition political alliance swept to an historic victory in December 27 elections that ended the 39-year rule of the Kenya Africa National Union party.
”You can see the vice-president, who I’m sure doesn’t know much about cricket, was here,” Mchuki said. ”It’s going to be very positive for cricket. During the last two years it’s been really catching up, the only problem is many schools don’t have cricket grounds … and people do not understand it, but it has become more Africanised.”
In the past, cricket in Kenya was seen as a game dominated by Kenyans of South Asian origin. But in recent years indigenous Kenyans have come to dominate the national side. – Sapa-AP