2nd Match: South Africa v Kenya at Benoni, 7 Oct 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Match: South Africa v Kenya at Benoni, 7 Oct 2001
Peter Robinson

Pre-game: Toss,
Kenya innings: 15 overs, 30 overs, Innings,
South Africa innings: 15 overs, 30 overs,

SOUTH AFRICA COAST TOWARDS EASY VICTORY OVER KENYA

With little fuss or flurry Jacques Kallis and Neil McKenzie put together a an 88-run third-wicket partnership to take South Africa moved to 140 for three after 30 overs in reply to Kenya’s 159 for seven in the Standard Bank One-Day International at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

The pair came together at 52 for two and calmly worked the Kenyan attack around the ground, picking up ones and twos on both sides of the wicket while waiting for the loose ball.

It was a stand almost devoid of incident as Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe employed seven bowlers in a vain attempt to effect the breakthough.

The South Africa 100 came up in the 23rd over in which McKenzie took another boundary off Odumbe to raise the 50 partnership.

The closest either batsmen came to making a mistake came in the 27th over when Kallis lifted the left-arm spinner inches over the head of Tony Suji at mid-on. It was a rare misjudgement, though, and neither batsman looked remotely like getting out.

It came as something of a surprise, then, when Collins Obuya got a leg break to kick at Kallis and find the outside edge for his brother David Obuya to take the catch behind the wicket.

Kallis made 54 off 80 balls with six boundaries and after 30 overs McKenzie had 38 with Jonty Rhodes still to open his account.

KIRSTEN, GIBBS FALL AS SA CHASE MODEST KENYAN TOTAL

Kenya grabbed the wickets of both in-form South African openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs but still seemed unlikely to be able to defend a modest total of 159 for seven in the Standard Bank One-Day International at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday. After 15 overs the home side were 68 for two.

On Friday Kirsten batted throughout the South African innings for an unbeaten 133 against India and he looked in similarly good touch, helping himself to four boundaries as he raced to 17 off 18 balls. But then he heaved across the line to be bowled by Thomas Odoyo with South Africa 21 for one.

Gibbs, too, was in splendid form, bringing up the South African 50 in the ninth over with an extraordinary slap high over point for six off Peter Ogondo. With the score on 52, however, Gibbs lost his wicket in unusual and confusing circumstances, a delivery from Odoyo seeming to come off his hip and the back of his bat before looping high into the slips.

With the departure of Gibbs, some of the urgency went out of the innings but Jacques Kallis kept the scoreboard ticking over with several attractive drives. In fact, this is a slight distortion. The scoreboard froze after 11 overs and the only way the crowd could keep up with the game was from announcements made over the PA system at the end of each over.

According to the announcer, Kallis was on 16 with McKenzie on 6 at the end of the 15th over.

TIKOLO LIFTS KENYA TO 159/7 AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA

Steve Tikolo spared Kenya from complete embarrassment with a fighting 68 not out as the touring team were restricted to 159 for seven in the Standard Bank One-Day International against South Africa at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

Without Tikolo Kenya might have struggled to reach three figures after electing to bat first, the right-hander looking clearly a class above his team-mates.

After 30 overs the Kenyans had been 82 for three and the fourth wicket fell at 90 when Maurice Odumbe flicked Lance Klusener straight to Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket for 24. Odumbe had helped Tikolo add 55 for the fourth wicket in the only partnership of any significance in the innings.

Thomas Odoyo stayed only briefly in making 7 before he was quite brilliantly caught by Jacques Kallis, scampering back from mid on and sprawling as he held on to a steepling catch to give Andre Nel his first wicket of the innings. Odoyo had, however, helped Tikolo take Kenya past the 100 mark in the 35th over of the innings.

The fifth wicket had fallen at 106 and the sixth went down at 134, again the product of excellent fielding as Gibbs dived to take a low catch at cover to get rid of Martin Suji for 13. The wicket was Makhaya Ntini’s second of the innings.

Tony Suji helped Tikolo add 21 for the seventh wicket before he gave Shaun Pollock a return catch off the last ball of the 49th over and there was time enough before the innings closed for Mark Boucher to spill an extraordinarily difficult chance off Peter Ogondo. With Ogondo making only a single before the end of the 50 overs, it was hardly an expensive miss.

Tikolo’s runs had come off 83 balls and he hit eight boundaries in an innings that admirably mixed technique with resolve.

TIKOLO, ODUMBE REBUILD KENYAN INNINGS IN BENONI

Despite the efforts of Steve Tikolo, Kenya continued to struggle against South Africa’s disciplined attack, losing wickets along the way as they moved to 82 for three after 30 overs in the Standard Bank One-Day international at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

The Kenyans had been 27 for one when the fielding restrictions were lifted after 15 overs. They lost their second wicket without addition to the score when Ravindu Shah stood on his wicket as he tried to force Makhaya Ntini away off the back foot. Shah had taken 50 balls to make 8.

The third Kenyan wicket fell at 35, David Obuya lifting a drive off Jacques Kallis to Andre Nel at mid-off. Obuya had made 17 off 53 balls and hit three fours when he was dismissed.

His departure brought Kenya’s two most experienced batsmen, captain Maurice Odumbe and Tikolo together in what was likely to be Kenya’s best hope of posting some kind of total.

Tikolo, who spent a season playing provincial cricket in South Africa for Border a few years ago, immediately looked the most comfortable of the visitors’ batsmen, raising the Kenyan 50 in the 23rd over with a classical off drive for four against Kallis. He took another boundary off the next delivery he faced, working Kallis away through midwicket.

For the first time the Kenyan scoring rate lifted above two to the over and after 30 overs Tikolo was on 26 with Odumbe on 23.

KENYA BOGGED DOWN BY SOUTH AFRICANS AFTER LOSING EARLY WICKET

After losing a wicket to the first legal ball of the match Kenya crawled to 27 for one in the first 15 overs of their Standard Bank One-Day International against South Africa at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

Kennedy Obuya (formerly known as Otieno) pushed tentatively forward at Shaun Pollock’s second delivery after the South African captain had started with a no ball and succeeded only in brushing a catch to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. Obuya had not troubled the scorers and Kenya found themselves 1 for one.

Obuya was replaced by his brother David who was given a life on 1 when an edge off Andre Nel burst through the hands of Lance Klusener at first slip and hurried away to the boundary.

The Kenyans had to wait until the eighth over of the innings for their first intentional boundary when Obuya put Pollock away for four, but the Kenyans were clearly struggling against a quality of bowling to which they were obviously unaccustomed.

At the 15 over mark David Obuya had 13 with Ravindu Shah on 8.

CONFUSION AS KENYA OPT TO BAT AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA

Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe won the toss and elected to bat among scenes of no little confusion ahead of the Standard Bank One-Day International against South Africa at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday.

When the Kenyans provided their team sheet it transpired that several of them, particularly the Otieno brothers, wished to be known by alternative names. Kennedy Otieno, for instance, wanted to be called Kennedy Obuya while Peter Ochieng's name was given as Peter Ogondo.

The South African team list was more straightforward with left-arm spinner Claude Henderson coming into the side for Justin Kemp.

South Africa: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Claude Henderson.

Kenya: Maurice Odumbe (capt), Steve Tikolo, Kennedy Obuya (Otieno), Ravindu Shah, David Obuya (Otieno), Thomas Odoyo, Martin Suji, Tony Suji, Collins Otieno Obuya, Peter Ogondo (Ochieng), Brijal Patel.