Zimbabwe hammer Kenya in quest for Plate title

In a brutally clinical fashion, the young Zimbabweans today demonstrated the gulf between Africa's junior Test-playing nation and those countries climbing the cricket ladder.

Zimbabwe's 211-run victory over Kenya in the first round of the ICC Under-19 World Cup Plate Championship was built very much on a team batting effort, six of their batsmen going beyond 20 in a score of 291/7.

The captain, Tatenda Taibu, led the way with a controlled 65 on an Eden Park Outer Oval pitch used recently for a domestic one-day contest. While anything ill-directed tended to stay low, particularly late in the match, balls on line held few if any pitch-induced horrors.

The key to the big score was partnerships. Combined efforts of 79 for the second wicket, 71 for the third and 80 for the fifth provided a solid foundation for the daunting target. In the process, Taibu found able assistance in Charles Coventry (46), Sean Ervine (43), Stuart Matsikenyeri (35) and Hamilton Masakadza (32) as they plundered the Kenyan attack.

Only when the spinners, Jadayji Bhimji and Rajesh Premji, were operating did the Zimbabwe onslaught falter.

Bhimji's 46 runs from 10 overs did not do the slow left-armer with an interesting round-arm delivery justice. He paid the price for being brought back when Zimbabwe were indulging in some heavy hitting at the end.

Premji did not suffer the same fate, his one for 28 off seven a true reflection of the trouble the Zimbabwe batsmen had with the two spinners.

For the Kenyans, the 292 target was formidable. However, they struck in Waddington Mwayenga a young pace bowler of admirable accuracy. Always on the spot, he ripped through the Kenyan top order, bowling his 10 overs straight through with the impressive figures of five for 21.

And when Mwayenga had had his man-of-the-match-winning way with the hapless leading Kenyan batsmen, the spin pairing of Stanley Marisa (two for 14 from five) and Masakadza (one for 10 off five) ensured there was no place for the rest of the Kenyans to hide.

The future of African slow bowling is clearly in capable hands.

A little burst of action from Kalpesh Patel, coming in at No 8, offered some light relief from the demolition, particularly with a straight driven six off Marisa. However, his unbeaten 22 only put off what had long since been written everywhere but on the scoreboard - a big victory to Zimbabwe.

The innings finished at 80 in the 31st over, a performance that can only have the other two teams in the group, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea, approaching their contact with Zimbabwe with some trepidation.