Thirsty for more upsets

A comparable scenario would have had Liechtenstein beating Brazil in the football World Cup. Not one-nil, not two-nil but by three or fou...

A comparable scenario would have had Liechtenstein beating Brazil in the football World Cup. Not one-nil, not two-nil but by three or four.

Kenya did not just beat the West Indies in the Indian city of Pune in 1996, they humiliated them in what was the biggest upset in 24 years of cricket World Cup history.

Nothing recently has suggested that Kenya are capable of repeating the feat in The 1999 World Cup but South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, India and Zimbabwe — their group A opponents in the coming weeks — will be extremely wary of the African side. That day, February 29, was the stuff of sporting fairytale. Minnow eats great white shark. The Kenyans had gone into the match star-struck by their opponents, the 1975 and 1979 tournament winners and the 1983 finalists.

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Captain Maurice Odumbe had said: "The West Indies have always been our favourite cricketers. It’s an honour to play with them … We try to play like the West Indies, aggressive and entertaining at the same time."

Hours later, it wasKenya who were doing a lap of honour around the Nehru stadium, their heroes having lost dismally by 73 runs, dismissed for a not very aggressive, not very entertaining 93.

Seven of the side that won that day return with Kenya this time. Some of the selections, according to the Kenyan Cricket Association, have been influenced by how well they think the players will stand up to the English cold.

Steve Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe, however, the main men of 1996, are both back. Tikolo, a quality right-handed batsman with Caribbean tendencies, had impressed with a 96 against Sri Lanka last time. His career includes a spell with South African side Border. His brother Tom was the first indigenous Kenyan to captain the country.

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Odumbe, meanwhile, is a name synonymous with Kenyan cricket. There have been six Odumbe cricketing brothers. Edward played alongside Maurice’s side in 1996. Maurice, the then-captain, had taken three for 15 from 10 steady overs of off-spin in the match against the West Indies. Martin Suji,a seamer who has played for Transvaal, also returns. Cricket was introduced to Kenya at the turn of the century and supplied the bulk of the East African side which played in the 1975 World Cup. In 1981 Kenya branched out on its own and formed its own team.

Last May, they completed another giant-killing by beating a sloppy India in a tri-nations one-day tournament.