8th Match: South Africa v Kenya at Cape Town, 22 Oct 2001 CricInfo Live Report

8th Match: South Africa v Kenya at Cape Town, 22 Oct 2001
Peter Robinson

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

ODOYO WAGES LONE BATTLE AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA

Thomas Odoyo found himself waging a lone battle to stave off the inevitable as Kenya slid towards a heavy defeat in their Standard Bank One-Day International against South Africa at Newlands on Monday.

After 30 overs Odoyo had 43 out of 92 for four, but with negligible support from his team-mates he could do little to prevent South Africa marching confidently towards victory.

The run rate, which had been over seven to the over to start with, had climbed into double figures midway through the innings as the Kenyans found the gap in class between the two teams impossible to cross.

The third Kenyan wicket to fall in the innings came by way of an inside edge as Jacques Kallis squeezed one between Kennedy Otieno’s bat and pad to knock back his leg stump. Otieno faced 57 balls in making 10 and when he departed Kenya were 59 for three.

Kennedy was replaced by his brother David who had a life before he opened his account, edging Charl Langeveldt for Mark Boucher to grasp but fail to hold a one-handed catch diving to his right. It was an extremely difficult chance and Boucher had done well even to get a glove on the ball.

David went on to make 10 before he was superbly caught by Herschelle Gibbs at backward square leg, diving to hang on to a top-edged sweep off Nicky Boje at 89 for four.

KENYA LOSE EARLY WICKETS IN CHASE FOR MASSIVE TARGET

Kenya’s Mission Improbable quickly became Mission Impossible as the east Africans struggled to 42 for two after 15 overs in reply to South Africa’s 354 for three in the Standard Bank One-Day International at Newlands on Monday.

The Kenyans lost the wickets of the in-form Ravindu Shah and captain Steve Tikolo inside the first 10 overs of their innings and by the time the 15-over mark was reached the required run rate had climed to 8.9 runs to the over to win.

Nantie Hayward, playing in his first match of the tournament, quickly slipped into top gear, consistently recording speeds upwards of 145km/h in his opening spell, but it was his captain, Shaun Pollock, bowling around a more modest 125km/h who made the first breakthrough.

With the Kenyans struggling for runs, Shah went down the wicket to Pollock, but his drive took the outside edge and Mark Boucher pouched a straightforward catch. Shah was out for six with the score on 8.

Hayward’s aggression was rewarded in the 10th over of the innings when Steve Tikolo, who had hit two boundaries, drove flat-footed at him and Boucher claimed his second catch – and the 150th of his career – at 25 for two. Tikolo was out for 11.

Jacques Kallis replaced Pollock at the Wynberg End for the 13th over and immediately had an appeal for a catch at the wicket against Thomas Odoyo turned down. Odoyo then hit Kallis through midwicket for four and top-edged the next ball high over the wicketkeeper for six.

At the end of the 15th over, Kennedy Otieno was on 8 with Odoyo on 15.

CENTURIES FOR KIRSTEN, MCKENZIE AS SOUTH AFRICA POST MASSIVE TOTAL

Centuries from Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie and a record South African second wicket stand took the home to 354 for three, the highest score yet in the Standard Bank One-Day series, against Kenya at Newlands on Monday. It was also South Africa’s second highest total in one-day cricket.

Kirsten made 124, his 12th one-day hundred and McKenzie 131 not out as the two combined to put on 207 for the second wicket at exactly a run a balll as the Kenyans wilted during the second half of the South African innings. The partnership eclipsed the 179 made by Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis earlier this year.

Both batsmen opened up in the second half of the innings, McKenzie hitting Steve Tikolo twice for six in three balls in the 32nd overs with Kirsten also taking advantage of the relatively close Newlands straight boundaries to lift Tikolo for six over long-on.

The left-hander went to his century with a single off Collins Otieno and while McKenzie became understandably cautious as he neared three figures, Kirsten began to play a succession of adventurous strokes, slog-sweeping Otieno for six in the 39th over.

He offered up a chance to Tony Suji on 121, top-edging a sweep of Brijal Patel, but the fielder missed the ball as he scampered backwards from square leg, but Kirsten finally went in the 42nd over, caught on the midwicket boundary by Thomas Odoyo off Martin Suji. He had faced 131 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes and the second South African wicket had fallen at 246.

Shaun Pollock threw his bat at everything in a 12-ball stay that earned him 19, including a massive six high into the Kelvin Grove end stand off Patel until he, too, was caught by Odoyo, this time off Patel, at 277 for three.

McKenzie, meanwhile, had reached his hundred off 108 balls before producing an extraordinary checked drive straight for six off Patel.

Mark Boucher, sent in at five, joined with McKenzie in a flurry of hitting as the pair put on 77 off just 32 balls. Boucher, who reached his 50 off just 19 balls with a six off Odoyo, made 51 off 20 balls with two fours and four sixes. McKenzie, meanwhile, had faced 123 balls for his runs with eight four and three sixes.

KIRSTEN, MCKENZIE LAY FOUNDATION FOR BIG SOUTH AFRICAN TOTAL

Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie took fewer than 20 overs and just on an hour-and-a-quarter to build a century partnership for the second wicket as South Africa moved to 153 for one after 30 overs in their Standard Bank One-Day International against Kenya at Newlands on Monday. Kirsten was 84 with McKenzie on 48.

The Kenyans had done well to restrict South Africa to 72 for one in the first 15 overs, but Kirsten and McKenzie upped the pace in the middle overs, lifting the run rate above five to the over.

After his aggression in the early overs, Kirsten reverted a little to type, working the ball around as acting Steve Tikolo juggled his bowlers, employing no fewer than four spinners.

McKenzie combined frequent use of the sweep with several handsome drives and at one point he produced a beautiful late cut off Collins Otieno that scuttled away to the third man boundary.

The 100 partnership came up off 113 balls in the 26th over of the innings and the South African 150 in the 29th.

The platform had been laid for a South African onslaught on the bowling during the closing overs of the innings.

GIBBS GOES AS SOUTH AFRICA MAKE SOLID START AGAINST KENYA

Kenya picked up the wicket of Herschelle Gibbs as they kept South Africa in reasonable check during the first 15 overs of their Standard Bank One-Day International at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday.

The South Africans, who had won the toss and opted to bat first, were 72 for one at this point with Gary Kirsten on 48 and Neil McKenzie 7.

Although the South Africans were by no means completely bogged down during the opening stages, they were unable to wreak the same sort of havoc that has been the case in their previous matches in this tournament. Kirsten, who had a little more of the strike, was the more fluent of the opening pair, with Gibbs often finding the field with shots on both sides of the wicket.

The Kenyans missed two chances for an early breakthrough with both opening bowlers, Martin Suji and Thomas Odoyo spilling return catches. Suji missed Kirsten on 12 and Odoyo put down Gibbs on 11.

Gibbs eventually went in the eighth over of the innings, cramped for room as he tried to pull Odoyo with the ball looping up to Steve Tikolo at midwicket. Gibbs’ 16 came off 22 balls and he hit two fours with the wicket going down at 39.

Odoyo was rested after five overs with Jimmy Kamande coming into the attack as McKenzie, pushed up the order for this match, came in at three, but it was Kirsten who continued to be the senior partner, hitting Kamande over midwicket and backward of point for two boundaries in the 14th over.

SOUTH AFRICA BAT FIRST AGAINST KENYA AT NEWLANDS

South African captain Shaun Pollock won the toss and decided to bat against Kenya in the Standard Bank One-Day International at Newlands on Monday.

The South Africans, who have already qualified for Friday’s final, made four changes to the side that beat India by 46 runs in East London last Friday with Gary Kirsten, Nantie Hayward, Justin Kemp and Charl Langeveldt coming in for Boeta Dippenaar, Lance Klusener, Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini.

In the Kenyan team, Joseph Angara, who took three for 30 and was the man of the match when Kenya shocked India last week, has had to return home because of a family bereavement. His place in the squad has been taken by all-rounder Hitesh Modi who was in South Africa on holiday. In another change, Jimmy Kamande replaces Sandeep Gupta.

Teams South Africa: Shaun Pollock (capt), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Mark Boucher, Justin Kemp, Nicky Boje, Nantie Hayward, Charl Langeveldt.

Kenya: Steve Tikolo (capt) Kennedy Otieno, Ravindu Shah, David Otieno, Thomas Odoyo, Hitash Modi, Martin Suji, Tony Suji, Collins Otieno, Brijal Patel, Jimmy Kamande