World Cup Warm-up: Lancs League XI v Kenya (29 April 1999)

29 April 1999

World Cup Warm-up: Lancs League XI v Kenya

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

The last time Roger Harper played against Kenya was in Poona in 1996.

It was a game that shook the cricketing world and produced the greatest upset in the World Cup's short history.

The mighty West Indians had been defeated by cricket's equivalent of Rushden and Diamonds.

More than three years on, Harper was again up against the plucky Kenyans, playing for a Lancashire League XI at Alexandra Meadows as part of the Kenyan World Cup warm-up.

The result was the same - but the manner quite different.

Whereas the Kenyans had undone the West Indies with the ball on a hot and dusty Poona track, the African batsmen adapted well to a damp, slow and low East Lancs track with elegance and patience.

In Steve Tikolo, Kenya have a class act and, if their enthusiasm is anything to go by, another upset in this summer's tournament is no impossibility.

Harper reflected: "I think they play a lot more cricket now and they have full international status so have gained a lot of experience. "I do not think we saw the best of them in this match.

"They have got a bit more depth in their batting than they had in 1996 and you have to give them credit because they are not used to these conditions."

Harper remembers taking three wickets in Poona as the Kenyans were restricted to around 140.

But the West Indies were skittled, about 20 runs short of their target, with Harper unable to make much of an impression with the bat.

Then, the Kenyan dangerman was Maurice Odumbe, who took 3-14, one of four spinners who combined to restrict the Lancashire League XI to 197 in their 50 overs on a drying track conducive to spin.

Colne professional Joe Scuderi used his experience of the conditions to build a patient opening partnership of 46 with Nelson skipper Duncan Spencer. But the momentum was lost as the amateurs making up the League XI struggled to dominate the Kenyan attack and keep the scoreboard ticking over. So it was left to Harper to exact a modicum of revenge for Poona with a typically flamboyant 68, although he was dropped on the boundary during the final onslaught.

On this evidence the fielding of the Kenyans will have to improve to survive with the world's elite, but their ability to appeal is up there with the very best.

Tikolo was also the pick of the bowlers, his off-spin accounting for three league batsmen while conceding just 20 runs.

The backbone of the Kenyan reply was an assured partnership by Tikolo, who also hit 93 against the world champions Sri Lanka in the last World Cup, and opener Kennedy Otieno.

Tikolo was fresh from an innings of 70 against Lancashire Seconds the previous day and has both the technique and application to catch the eye in this year's tournament.

But the Kenyan reply was not without incident, although the track was less conducive to spin than in the drying morning session. Burnley professional Anthony Botha had two good appeals for caught behind turned down and Bacup pro Brad White was also disappointed when an appeal against Tikolo was denied.

League skipper Spencer said: "We gave them a good game really, and they would have got a lot out of it, but if Tikolo had gone I felt we would have had a good chance."

New East Lancs pro Claude Henderson did a good containing job with just 19 runs from his 10 overs but the Kenyan reply was always ahead of the run-rate.

Kenyan bowling coach and former Lancashire paceman Peter Lever added: "This kind of track teaches our bowlers to bowl under different conditions and it teaches the batsmen to be patient.

"It was part of their cricket education in that they have not seen a pudding wicket like that before.

"Had Steve Tikolo been brought up in a Test match country then you've got to say that the guy is the one that would have stood a chance of playing Test cricket.

"There is always the chance of an upset in one-day cricket.

"I will be very pleased if we win a game and over the moon if we win two.

"But it wouldn't shock me if we won a game."

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)