Kenya Views

[Rich2001]

I've noticed over the last week or so how alot of people on the forum have a negative view to the Kenya side making the Super-Sixes and now the Semi-Finals, all the arguments of they don't dersver a place etc etc..

Yet generally in life most people go for the underdogs and love to see them upset the "bigger" sides... This is in all sports I mean going back to the Football World Cup, when teams like Senagal (sp??) etc started to do well, everyone wantted them to progress further and further in the Cup. So why is it that a underdog in Kenya are getting so much greif over doing well and upsetting the script?

Personally I think they deserver credit afterall they escaped a group containing SA, NZ, SL and WI and now the Super-Sixes (Ok they had most of the points in the bag) but beatting Zimbabwe might not seem a great deal, but to the Kenya team it was a big win... and Zimbabwe can't be considered a pushover with the likes of the Flowers and Streak in the side.

 

[krkode]

Agreed. Thing went right for Kenya this time. A hec load of records got broken this world cup - probably one of the more dramatic world cups ever - and this. Just adds to the beauty :P

Personally, I think, the Kenyans saw the chance and they grabbed it like no other team could - and that alone justifies their place in the semi finals.

 

[Rik]

Unfortunately Streak isn't half the bowler he used to be, 2 games without a wicket prove that, and Flower had other things on his mind, but still the Kenyans out-played them all the way through and deserved their win. Kenya have been the surprise package of this WC for sure, they beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, gave India a hard time and now beat Zimbabwe for the 1st time ever to get into the Semi Finals! Whilst the Captain Steve Tikolo has been dissapointing with the bat, scoring only 99 runs at 14.14, he has picked up 8 wickets at only 11.62 apiece. He has also been helped by the bowling of Collins Obuya (13 wickets at 20.92) and Martin Suji (8 wickets at 22.37) as well as the all-round ability of Thomas Odoyo (149 runs at 37.25 and 8 wickets at 21.75) and former captain Maurice Odumbe (192 runs, average 48.00, strike rate of 102.12 and 9 wickets at 25.11). No batsman has really shined although opening pair of Wicket-Keeper Kennedy Otieno (266 runs at 23.71) and Ravindu Shah (218 at 31.14) have usually given them a good start. Kenya, in this World Cup, appear to be a team without major stars, although like New Zealand are famous for, they work as a team and do just enough to win. Good luck to them against India, they've proven so many people wrong in this World Cup, I'd like to see them do it again.

 

[luckyeddie]

The duck's been through every post over the last 2 months containing the word 'Kenya'. It makes interesting reading, but I'm not going to tell you about it.

<quack> yet.

One thing about today's game, though. The Kenyans for a time batted as though they didn't quite believe what was happening - then the penny dropped. At the end, it was everyone else who didn't believe what was happening. Make no bones about it - they utterly destroyed Zimbabwe with a far superior all-round performance.

Now, what odds on them beating India? I would put it no higher than 4-1

 

[krkode]

Now, what odds on them beating India? I would put it no higher than 4-1

Apologies, dear friend, as I have just begun to do this probabilities stuff. Does that mean, you are saying India has a 80% chance of winning while Kenya the rest? Same as you giving 4 somethings if India lose and getting 1 something if India win?

 

[Simon]

they deserve their place in the semis, but i just cant comprehend how a team like kenya could make it, the cricket world are just not used to upsets like this, the big teams always beat minnows, and to see kenya doing this at this world cup is a massive shock.
Hopefully this is going to do **** loads for the game in kenya, maybe a test spot, more teams might want to play them, then the kids in the country start playing, maybe even set up some sort of a recognized FC competition some time in the future.

 

[krkode]

They were in the right place at the right time, did the right thing when it needed to be done, and didn't do the wrong things at the wrong time :P

Simple

If you notice, their coach is also part of a world cup winning team - when India won in 83, they were also considered a relatively minnowish team, weren't they? Patil probably knows what he's doing.

 

[Rik]

Now, what odds on them beating India? I would put it no higher than 4-1

Hmmmmm a tidy £40 *STOP IT!!! You don't gamble! Remember that!*

 

[hourn]

Kenya deserve their place in the semi finals - thats not debatable.

If they didn't deserve it they wouldn't be there.

You can't argue against the results.

And personally, i think its great.

Can someone who feels they dont deserve their spot please justify their answer??

no one has apart from the "their not a test team and they've just got lucky" answer which is a load of BS.

 

[age_master]

Kenya have some good players and should be a test team - esp considering Bangladesh is

 

[marc71178]

Now, what odds on them beating India? I would put it no higher than 4-1

I expect the bookies will be quoting nearer to 7-1

 

[Rik]

Kenya have some good players and should be a test team - esp considering Bangladesh is

One Day cricket is a totally different game to Test Cricket. Just look at Bangladesh, they come straight out of One Day Cricket and start collapsing in Tests because they just keep playing in the One Day Mould and getting out in silly ways. We need to give Kenya as much One Day Cricket as possible and try and get them to play as many 4 day games with "A Teams" from around the world to aid their development into a Test Nation, but only when they are ready and they show they are worthy of it mind.

 

[luckyeddie]

Apologies, dear friend, as I have just begun to do this probabilities stuff. Does that mean, you are saying India has a 80% chance of winning while Kenya the rest? Same as you giving 4 somethings if India lose and getting 1 something if India win?

Quite correct, equally dear friend. On reflection, Marc's suggestion of the bookies odds of 7-1 just might be a closer reflection of the truth.

Maybe I'm giving a little too much credence to the old 'toss of the coin/Durban' factor.

Anyway - it's not a foregone conclusion. Ask Sri Lanka, ask Zimbabwe.

On the other hand, it is possible that India severely underestimated them last time and the top order just threw their wickets away. It's equally possible that we only saw the true Kenya for the first time yesterday, when they blazed away at Zimbabwe and blew them off the park, and that they could be a real handful next Thursday.

 

[Bazza]

I do feel Kenya don't deserve their place in the Super Six, let alone the semi finals. However Zimbabwe playing in the Super Six anoys me far more. Who have they beaten in this World Cup? Nobody! Namibia and Holland and that's it. They lost to everyone else including Kenya. Surely people realise they have not performed better than 8 other teams in this World Cup?!?

 

[Langeveldt]

Yes well unfortunatly what could have been a great world cup has descended into a political football, and you cant hide away from the fact that Kenya and Zimbabwe would have stood less of a chance, maybe none at all if New Zeland and England honoured their matches.

Sorry to put such a negative light on things, but Kenya have lit up the world cup with their spirit and performances, so maybe their place is justified....

 

[krkode]

I do feel Kenya don't deserve their place in the Super Six, let alone the semi finals. However Zimbabwe playing in the Super Six anoys me far more. Who have they beaten in this World Cup? Nobody! Namibia and Holland and that's it. They lost to everyone else including Kenya. Surely people realise they have not performed better than 8 other teams in this World Cup?!?

Then why are not those 8 other teams in their place?
Same for Kenya. Why isn't SA or WI in their place?

If you say bad luck, then make it known, that that's part of cricket. I too believe that rained out matches should be given another chance, and captain's should be informed of the exact number their team should score in order to win in the D/L method, BUT, it wasn't so, and that's that.

You get only what you deserve, and that's all that's happened in this world cup.

 

[marc71178]

Quite correct, equally dear friend. On reflection, Marc's suggestion of the bookies odds of 7-1 just might be a closer reflection of the truth.

Just checked Eurobet, and you can get 66-1 on Kenya winning the cup!

 

[anzac]

Kenya deserve to be there more than Zimbabwe on results alone. Yes they both have had assistance re forfeits & rain to get in ahead of other teams - ZIM more so.

I would like to see Kenya join the Test ranks to make up for the BANG failure thus far, but I agree with Rik re the difference in stepping up to the longer game in this company. Like Rik I would like to see more 'A' matches for these teams to bring them up to speed b4 being thrown to the wolves.

For me the question isn't so much do Kenaya deserve to be there, but do Zimbabwe! They have been a real disappointment and more questions need to be asked of them as much as the likes of Kenya & BANG.

How about a provisional tiered / divisional Test status - in one group you could have Kenya, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and some 'wildcard' series v 'A' teams, and in the other have the rest. Each group plays their own 'season', and then have a promotion / relegation series at the end of the season. This would decrease the time frame re the Test Championship, decrease the blown out results & stats, and encourage the lower teams by giving them some regular chances for positive results.

 

[Neil Pickup]

How about a provisional tiered / divisional Test status - in one group you could have Kenya, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and some 'wildcard' series v 'A' teams, and in the other have the rest. Each group plays their own 'season', and then have a promotion / relegation series at the end of the season. This would decrease the time frame re the Test Championship, decrease the blown out results & stats, and encourage the lower teams by giving them some regular chances for positive results.

Kenya are definitely more deserving of their run than the Zimbabweans - how many Test Nations have Zimbabwe beaten on the field? None. Kenya have done for two, and given India a good fight into the bargain.

I think that two divisions will, in time, only increase the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" - look at the English Football League with the widening chasm between the Premiership and First Division.

It will only result in the promoted teams getting carted repeatedly, and the relegated teams cruising back up again - there's probably a likelihood as well (as in the Premiership) that you get an élite few leaving the rest behind.

 

[luckyeddie]

Having Kenya as a test playing nation in a few years will also help in bringing Bangladesh along, I believe.

So many times in the history of test cricket. the 'new boys' have struggled to find their feet for so many years - similar to the circumstances Bangladesh find themselves in now.

With two relative newbies in the frame, they will (if they've got any sense) play each other in a 3 match series every other year and consequently not have to suffer the all-too-regular annihilations which the more established teams would otherwise be handing out on a regular basis.

They'll still get the thrashings, of course, but at least there will be one other 'minnow' to play every now and again.