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HISTORY Kenya's entry into international cricket came as part of the , with little success. Kenya were by far the strongest element of the East African team, so it was no surprise when they broke away and joined the ICC as an associate member in their own right in 1981 . {Link without Title} . Kenya played their first first-class game in 1986 , losing against Pakistan B. Their second first class game would be twelve years away, but in the interim, their cricket came on in leaps and bounds. They finished runners up in the 1994 ICC Trophy , which qualified them to play in the 1996 World Cup . They didn't progress past the first round, but they pulled off a major upset, beating the West Indies by 73 runs. {Link without Title} The ICC granted Kenya ODI status soon after that World Cup, and they hosted a ODI tournament in September of that year. In May 1998 , they pulled off another upset win, defeating India by 69 runs. {Link without Title} Kenya had a poor World Cup in 1999, going without a win in the Tournament . Their next win would once again be an upset victory against India, winning by 70 runs in October 2001 . {Link without Title} . At the 2003 World Cup , Kenya shocked the cricket world by defeating three Test-playing nations on their way to the semi-finals of the tournament. It was looking like Kenya would become the eleventh Test playing nation in due course. However, a series of setbacks was to occur which would prevent them from reaching their goal. Following the 2003 semi-final, Kenyan cricket was rocked by match-fixing allegations, which eventually resulted in a ban for former captain Maurice Odumbe . Tikolo and many other senior players also went on strike over contract payments, as the players had apparently not been paid performance bonuses for their feats in the World Cup, with the expected negative effects on team performance. The Kenyan Cricket Association was dissolved by the government in January 2005 , with Cricket Kenya being formed to replace it in February. In June 2005 , Kenya was stripped of its ODI status and returned to Associate Member status of the ICC. This will come into effect at the 2009 ICC Trophy , at which Kenya will have to play and finish in the top six to regain its status. In the period between 2005 and 2009, Kenya will keep its ODI status (qualifying automatically for the 2007 World Cup), but will be able to play ODIs regularly against the five qualifiers from the 2005 ICC Trophy , as well as the opportunity to play against the ten Full Members of the ICC. Tournament History World Cup
ICC Champions Trophy
ICC Knockout
Commonwealth Games
Intercontinental Cup
ICC 6 Nations Challenge
ICC Trophy
RECENT ACTIVITY Since the 2003 World Cup, Kenya's progress towards eventual test status has been hampered by, among other factors, a lack of fixtures against the more established teams. Kenya went for a span of almost 18 months without playing an ODI after September 2004. However, with a new administration, Cricket Kenya, at the helm Kenya were back playing International cricket again in February/March 2006 . The Kenyans showed promise by drawing an away ODI series Zimbabwe 2-2. Only a washout of the final match prevented the team from a chance to claim their first ever ODI series victory. Nonetheless, it was considered impressive for Kenya to have competed effectively with the far better-funded Zimbabwean side and illustrated the team's future potential. They then had the opportunity to visit Bangladesh for a 4 match ODI series in late March 2006. However, the team lost all four matches. On their return from Bangladesh, they took on Holland in the first of their Intercontinental Cup matches. Holland won the toss, and at the end of the second day of four, it looked like Kenya were heading for certain defeat. A superb unbeaten double century by Captain Steve Tikolo not only avoided the follow on, but effectively saved the match. Kenya are next due to play away in Canada at the end of July, though the 'A' team will be travelling to Denmark earlier. CRICKET IN 2006/07 In 2006 and 2007, Kenya will play triangular series at home and in Canada, as well as hosting Division One of the ICC World Cricket League . They are drawn in the same group as Canada , England and New Zealand in the 2007 World Cup , where they will hope for a repeat of their 2003 performance. SEE ALSO 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup EXTERNAL LINKS Kenya Cricket blog Kenya Cricket forum |
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