1st Match: Pakistan v Kenya at Nairobi (Gym), 29 Aug 2002 Agha Akbar |
Pakistan innings:
Kenya innings: |
In the mayhem of tumbling wickets at each side of a courageous stand for the fifth wicket, Kennedy Obuya (36, 72 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) and Hitesh Modi (34, 36 balls, 8 fours) defied the Pakistani bowlers. Putting on 71 in 10 overs and a bit, taking boundaries off the entire frontline attack, Obuya and Modi took the fight to Pakistan after Wasim Akram (3 for 30 off 7 overs) and Waqar Younis (1 for 29 off 7 overs) had reduced them to 30 for four in overcast conditions after the Pakistan captain won the toss and inserted Keyna in.
That partnership turned out to be the only redeeming feature of the innings, as Tony Suji (17, off 26 deliveries, 3 fours) was the only other batsman to get into double figures. That is other than extras, which accounted for a whopping 30 runs.
But that partnership was too good to last. A clearly rusty and a bit tubby Shoaib Akhtar mostly bowled short and wide, that is when he didn't bowl a fuller length. And opener Obuya and Modi, who had already retrieved the situation somewhat by taking boundaries off Akram and Younis, took full advantage of this stuff. Obuya hit Akhtar's first ball over point for a four, and then sent Razzaq's over mid-wicket for a six. But it was Modi who really tore into Akhtar, guiding, driving and pulling him for five fours in the next two overs. The last of the boundaries raised Kenya's hundred in 18.4 overs, a staggering recovery after the quadruple early shocks. What is more, when Akhtar tried to stare Modi down, it was the latter who gave him lip!
But Akhtar had his revenge. A vicious one from him struck Modi on the index finger, and though the batsman bravely tried to soldier on, he had to leave the field retired hurt. That was the turning point, and with Razzaq getting amongst the wickets, the end of the innings was nigh.
Kennedy Obuya had pulled him to mid-wicket for a six and drove him to long-off for four in the first two overs, but it was a measure of Razzaq's tenacity that he struck four blows in the space of 13 balls for the addition of a mere three runs to make it curtains for Kenya. David Obuya was his first victim, guiding the ball to second slip after gamely surviving five deliveries. Next over was wicket maiden, as Collins Obuya edged one and Rashid Latif took an acrobatic catch in front of second slip. Kennedy Obuya had seen six wickets fall at the other end, and it seemed that he might carry his bat. But with a fastish inswinger Razzaq castled him, middle stump knocked back and leg stump cartwheeling. Modi came out to try and rescue what was already a lost cause, and survived just two deliveries before guiding one smack into Latif's very safe pair of gloves.
But Razzaq was denied the five-for as Martin Suji was run-out by substitute Shoaib Malik and Azhar Mahmood, who bowled a neat little spell of 3.3 overs for a mere four runs, knocked Joseph Angara's middle stump out of the ground.
As they day began, Younis opted to bowl after winning his first toss in five games. The conditions, overcast with some moisture in the wicket, were ideal for pace and swing bowling. But Akram and Younis, the two most successful bowlers in limited-overs cricket ever, both sprayed the ball around. Akram was absolutely out of rhythm and bowled a surfeit of wides and no-balls. But once Waqar had gotten the breakthrough, trapping Ravindu Shah leg before, Akram kept producing wicket-taking deliveries amid a rather generous sprinkling of wides and no-balls to have Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo leg before and clean bowling Maurice Odumbe with a most remarkable inswinger.
Pakistan definitely was anything but at its sharpest, and perhaps lucky to not to meet Australia in the first game. The Kenyan total indeed is a paltry one, and though the Pakistanis normally do not fancy chasing even modest totals, with depth in batting, they were likely to canter to 134.
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Date-stamped : 29 Aug2002 - 18:42