Kenya owe their place in the World Cup Super Sixes to New Zealand’s fears about playing in Nairobi, rain in Benoni and the leg-spin of Collins Obuya. They probably won’t win another match in the tournament, but in itself this should earn them sympathy support in their next three games. And if they do produce another upset, they’ll have guaranteed themselves a place in the semi-finals, just 100 overs from the World Cup final itself.
Kenya’s unexpected success will have exceeded their own expectations. They’ ve had some success in the past, notably in 1996 when they beat the West Indies in Poona, and they upset India in Port Elizabeth last summer. But the 53-run victory over Sri Lanka in Nairobi was in few of the scripts written for this World Cup. The Kenyans would have hoped for, perhaps even convinced themselves that it was entirely possible if not likely. But they would have had many backers.
All that, though, is already history and, in mathematical terms, Kenya are well placed to strike out for the semi-finals. They might even qualify despite losing their three Super Sixe matches although if New Zealand beat Zimbabwe and either Australia or India, this is likely to be averted.
What Kenya’s unexpected presence in the Super Sixes has done, however, is raise the issue of whether they, and not Bangladesh, should be playing Test cricket. On the face of it, Kenya have been done a disservice. Bangladesh didn’t win a World Cup. Rather than improve at the highest level, Bangladesh appear to have slipped alarmingly backwards. Even in the straight head-to-head meeting at the Wanderers Kenya prevailed, winning by 32 runs.
It was expected, when Bangladesh were accorded Test status, that they would take some time to find their feet, much as Sri Lanka also struggled to start with. The fact that Bangladesh now appear to slowly sinking is cause for deep concern, but this is not an argument, nor even a reason, for denying Kenya Test status.
More salient is the fact that Bangladesh were promoted in the expectation that the country’s massive, cricket-educated population would supply a steady flow of ever-improving players. This is taking a lot longer to happen than is good for anyone, but the underlying assumption remains relevant.
Kenya’s circumstances are different. A recent Reuters feature suggested that of Kenya’s various tribespeople, Kalenjins ran long distances, Kikuyus got involved in business and Luos played cricket. This may oversimplify the position, but the point seems to be underlined by the fraternal nature of Kenyans teams. The current side has three Obuya/Otieno brothers and a couple of Sujis. In all four Odumbe brothers have played for Kenya and three Tikolos.
In other words, the pool of Kenyan talent appears to be relatively limited which, in turn, poses the question of exactly how to effect sustainable growth.
There have at times been divisions in Kenyan between a largely Asian administration and a predominantly black team, but given the pre- and post-colonial history of Africa this is hardly surprising, but again it suggests the difficulties of broadening the base. The ICC missed a trick three years ago when the ICC Knockout Trophy tournament was staged in Nairobi. Games were not televised on Kenyan television and ticket prices proved too steep for many Africans and so, at times, it seemed eerily as if the tournament was being played on the sub-continent. If the ICC had underwritten either the ticket prices or local television coverage, the game would have been given an immense boost and the professed intention of developing cricket in Kenya would have been far better served.
Even so, the question of what happens to Kenya once the likes of Steve Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe have gone remains. Will the likes of Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Tony Suji and Brijlal Patel be able to carry the torch on to a new generation? And can this be achieved without serious first-class competition to sustain Kenya’s growth?
One solution might be to invited Kenya to play in South Africa’s SuperSport series, if and when it is ever rationalised into a strength-versus-strength format. Kenya would certainly illuminate the competition and, if they are to aspire to Test status, they need the foundations which are laid in first-class cricket.
For the moment, though, Kenya are in the Super Sixes and within sniffing distance of the semi-finals. They might be out of their league now, and they could be in for a couple of good hidings over the next nine days. But they’ ll have their moments and when they do their celebrations will be something to behold. Even if for only that reason, we should wish them well.