Ageless Tikolo turns back the clock

Kenya 305 for 8 (Tikolo 111, Mishra 44, Leverock 5-53) beat Bermuda 201 for 6 (Minors 68) by 104 runs
Scorecard

Kenya cruised to a 104-run run victory in the third and final ODI at a sunny Mombasa Sports Club, completing a series whitewash over Bermuda to give their World Cup preparations a major boost. For Bermuda, however, the upbeat mood which has been a hallmark of their game ever since they qualified for the tournament 16 months ago has given way to the reality that they are far from ready to compete with cricket's big guns.

The game was as good as over by the halfway mark. For much of the last decade Steve Tikolo has been widely accepted as the best batsman outside mainstream international cricket. He is now past his best - and Kenya's recent international isolation has also dulled his cutting edge - but he turned back the clock with a majestic hundred which enabled Kenya to post 305 for 8.

Dropped early on, Tikolo cut loose against some mediocre bowling to record his second - and highest - hundred in an ODI. Both in Nairobi and in the first two matches here, the pitches were damp and made run-scoring hard work. Finally, this match was played on a hard, fast and true surface and Tikolo gorged himself.

As was the case on Sunday, the main stand was between Tikolo and the precocious Tanmay Mishra. The pair added 117 for the fourth wicket in 18 overs before Mishra was undone by his own carelessness as he looked to open up. The burly Dwayne Leverock weighed in with wickets at the end to finish with 5 for 53.

Thomas Odoyo reduced Bermuda to 6 for 2 before a third-wicket stand of 98 between Dean Minors and Irvine Romaine got the innings on course, albeit slipping behind the asking rate. When Romaine departed in the 26th over the required rate was close to being in double figures, and with the spinners, especially the fast-improving Hiren Varaiya, proving hard to get away, Bermuda gave up the chase and opted for some batting practice instead.