INDIA CANTER THROUGH TO QUARTER-FINAL CLASH WITH AUSTRALIA

After restricting Kenya to 208 for nine, the Indians started slowly but ended at a scamper as Rahul Dravid and Vinod Kambli put on 74 in an unbroken partnership for the third wicket with an array of dazzling strokes.

The Kenyans, who were always going to struggle to defend a moderate total, eventually wilted and the Indians won going away and with six-and-a-half overs to spare.

There had been an early success for Kenya when Sachin Tendulkar was given out leg before to Tony Suji for 25 and Saurav Ganguly was stumped for 66 as he charged down the wicket to Maurice Odumbe. But Dravid and Kambli accelerated into the final straight with the best batting of the match.

Dravid was unbeaten on 68 at the end while Kambli’s 39 not out came off just 32 balls, both batsmen helping themselves to seven boundaries.

Martin Suji, who took the new ball, was the best of the Kenyan bowlers by some distance, but he used up his 10 overs in one spell and thereafter the Indians were able to pick off their victory target with ease.

CAUTIOUS START BY INDIAN OPENERS

Neither Ganguly not Sachin Tendulkar were willing to take chances against the Kenyans despite a good batting wicket and the huge gulf in experience between the two teams. Clearly, the prospect of losing – for which the punishment in this competition is instant elimination – hung heavily over the Indians who were content to wait for the bad ball to score.

Neither batsman, however, was particularly troubled by the Kenyan new ball pair of Martin Suji and Thomas Odoyo and the pair had taken the score to 47 when Tony Suji, who had replaced Odoyo at the City end, captured the prize wicket of Tendulkar.

He pushed well forward to a ball coming into him and was adjudged leg before by South African umpire Dave Orchard. Replays confirmed that the ball had struck him in line, but it was nevertheless a brave decision and one that sent the world’s best batsman on his way for 25. His runs came off 35 deliveries and he hit four boundaries.

With Dravid now in harness, Ganguly took the along to 54 at the end of the first 15 overs, the same total reached by Kenya at the same stage, but for one wicket fewer.

Although wicketless, Martin Suji impressed as he bowled out his 10 overs in one spell at a cost of 30. For Kenya, however, the problem was the need to take wickets. And Ganguly, who had been content to let Tendulkar play the leading role during the opening stand, gradually came out of his shell as runs started to flow more freely.

SHAH AND ODUMBE LIFT KENYA TO 208 FOR NINE

At times it seems that Kenya might struggle to bat out their 50 overs, but they eventually made it through to the end to finish on 209 for eight.

Shah and Odumbe both fashioned attractive half-centuries as the hosts recovered from 64 for three to reach 145 in the 38th over. The pair had set Kenya up for a run chase in the closing overs of the innings, but the dismissal of Shah for 60 off 93 balls proved the turning point.

He had smashed Venkatesh Prasad high and handsome over extra cover earlier in the over to add a six to his six fours, but when he tried to repeat the stroke he managed only to get himself caught at the wicket.

It was a soft end for a player who had looked composed and confident against international bowling on a wicket that offered pace and bounce and when Odumbe was trapped in front by Prasad for 51 less than five overs later, the heart had been ripped out of the Kenyan batting.

Zaheer Khan, impressively quick but sometimes wayward in his opening spell, returned at the Forest Road end to clean bowl Muhammad Sheikh and Hitesh Modi for ducks in the space of three balls, and at 159 for seven Kenya had fallen away.

Tony Suji was taken by wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya off Ajit Agarkar for 2 at 179 for eight. Thomas Odoyo, though, had kept his end up and took Kenya to 200 with a flat six over mid off off Agarkar in the penultimate over.

Martin Suji was caught at mid-on off Khan in the final over of the innings with Odoyo still there on 35.

MODEST STATRT FOR KENYA AS ICC KNOCKOUT 2000 GETS UNDERWAY

Sent in to bat by India, the hosts took 16 off the first 11 balls of the match before opener Kennedy Otieno spooned a leading edge up of Ajit Agarkar to captain Saurav Ganguly at mid on.

Both Agarkar and Zaheer Khan, the left-armer who took the new ball, generated pace and bounce on a quick wicket, but Khan’s line was too erratic to put Ravindu Shah and Jimmy Kamande under any real pressure.

Sham, a compact and composed right-hander, looked a useful player, but Kamande was nowhere near as assured as he flailed away hopefully at anything outside off-stump.

The Nairobi Gymkhana Club was half-full during the morning, but the crowd made up in enthusiasm for any lack of numbers, whistling and cheering every run as Shah and Kamande carried the score to 54 for one in the 15th over before legspinner Anil Kumble simply proved too good a bowler for Kamande.

The batsman pushed forward tentatively to edge a sharp chance to Rahul Dravid at slip. Kamande had taken 40 balls to score his 18.

Steve Tikolo, comfortably Kenya’s premier batsman, also fell to Kumble, trapped on the back foot for 5 to reduce the home team to 64 for three, but Shah and captain Maurice Odumbe took Kenya to the halfway stage of their innings at 83 for three.

© CricInfo