Co-hosts Kenya achieved something no other associate had ever achieved in the past during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Their tournament started with a defeat for South Africa, but after four wickets beat Kenya, Kenya was on a roll.
After overcoming Canada, Steve Tikolo and his men produced victories over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with their batting resistance and guerrilla bowling attack.
Kenya stunned everyone when 53 runs defending a low total of 210 have beaten a strong Sri Lankan side. The Kenya team qualified for the super sixes after getting a walkover against New Zealand in the Group Stages, which was an achievement in itself.
They beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets with 24 Overs to spare, chasing a modest target of just 134 and reaching the semis despite a defeat against the Indians.
In the semifinals they faced India again but were not able to overcome them. They lost the game through 91 runs but not before showing impressive resistance. Kenya displayed real character, combat and determination during the tournament despite the semi-final exit.
Unfortunately, in the next two World Cups (2007 and 2011), Kenya was not able to repeat its magical performances. They managed to win just one match and lost eight matches including some heavy defeats at the 2011 World Cup against Newzealand, Pakistan, Srilanka and Zimbabwe, which turned out to be their final appearance at a World Cup cricket.
Because of political and economic reasons they dipped heavily into cricket. They eventually lost ODI status in 2014 after they finished last in the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier Super Six series.
Shem Ngoche was appointed as the captain a few months later, and Maurice Odumbe as the head coach ahead of the ICC World T20 Africa “B” qualifiers.
Kenya did well under the tournament’s new captain as they finished first in the East African subregion ahead of Uganda and qualified for the regional finals in Africa.
Their next assignment is to be promoted by WCL Division Three, which is scheduled to begin on November 9.
Clearly after their mind-boggling performance at the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Kenya has failed to live up to its potential and expectations.
Most people nowadays are forced to believe they’ve just got lucky in the tournament. But people who have actually been following the Kenya team know they have played like true champions. Their sizzling performance then serves as a sweet memory in Kenya’s fading cricketing past.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login