African lion Kenya again proved their mettle with a crushing eight wickets win against hosts Bangladesh in the second match of the Meril International Cricket Tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Saturday.

This was ICC Trophy runners-up Kenya's third victory against Bangladesh, but their first on Bangladesh soil since earning official one-day status.

Bangladesh, the ICC Trophy champions, earned a solitary victory in one-day international and that was against Kenya last year in India. They so far have played 27 matches while Kenya notched six wins in 22 ODI.

In the day's match, first drop Stephen Tikolo made his maiden one-day century contributing 118 runs with Maurice Odumbe in the unconquered third wicket stand guiding Kenya to an easy victory making 215 runs with 6.1 overs to spare.

Tikolo, whose earlier best was 96, hit 13 fours today for his 106 runs off 111 balls while Odumbe scored run-a-ball 58 runs with four boundaries.

The difference between the two sides was the two Kenyans' running between the wicket. They always kept Bangladesh fielders under pressure taking quick singles.

Tikolo made the half century facing 66 deliveries with six hits to the fence and reached his hundred playing 110 balls with a boundary over the mid- wicket off Hasibul Hossain Shanta. Odumbe, the stroke maker of the Kenyan team, played a brilliant innings that featured four boundaries. He completed his run-a-ball fifty with three hits across the rope.

Kenya, which already had two creditable victories against former world champions West Indies and India, proved their prowess in all departments against Bangladesh, an aspirant for test status.

Earlier, winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam Bulbul decided to bat first and finished their 50-over quota making a modest 213 runs losing all wickets.

The only highlight of the Bangladesh innings was Shahriar Hossain Bidyut's 95 runs, the highest by any Bangladeshi batsman in ODI. The previous best was 82 runs made by Athar Ali Khan. Bidyut missed his maiden century as he fell victim of lbw to left-arm spinner Mohhamed Sheikh, but before his dismissal, hit eight boundaries playing 145 balls.

Bangladesh started their innings very slowly and reached the hundred mark in 30 overs losing two wickets. Opener Javed Omar Belim Gulla played a particularly shaky innings scoring 25 runs off 61 balls. The middle-order of Bangladesh failed to repair the early setback and could not make a fighting total.

Left-arm spinner Mohammed Sheikh was the most successful Kenyan bowler, who claimed three wickets for 36 runs in 8 overs while Thomas Odoyo, Maurice Odumbe and skipper Asif Karim picked up two wickets each.