Canada cruise to victory against Kenya

New Delhi, March 7: Canada rode on half centuries from skipper Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra to successfully chase down Kenya's total of 198 and registered their first win in the 2011 World Cup here Monday.The Delhi and Ludhiana born pair of Bagai (64) and Hansra (70) got together at a precarious 48 for three and stitched a match-winning stand of 132 runs. Hansra was dropped by Seren Waters when he was yet to open his account. It was his maiden fifty in One-day Internationals.

Bagai played a captain's knock and took the team home with 27 balls and five wickets to spare. He compiled his 14th half-century in 99 balls. Fast bowler Elijah Otieno (1/45) and spinner James Ngoche (1/26) took a wicket each in Kenya's another ordinary bowling performance. The win here was Canada's first in this World Cup and second overall, having beaten Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup. It was also their fourth consecutive win over their associate rivals in One-day Internationals.

Canada was off to a solid start and were comfortably placed at 41 for two in 10 overs. Pakistan-born batsman Rizwan Cheema smashed 17 off 13 balls which included a six over mid-wicket. He got out trying a similar shot off Otieno. Zubin Surkari (10) came at one-down but was sent back with a brilliant run out by Jimmy Kamande.

Kenya were in the game till the 11th over with the score at 48 for three. The third wicket of Ruvindu Gunasekera(18) came in a rather amusing fashion as wicketkeeper Maurice Ouma stumped him on the second attempt of a James Ngoche delivery. The next ball was easily the turning point of the match with Waters standing at long on dropped a Hansra sitter. It was the luck Canada needed and thereafter, Hansra and Bagai forged a patient century stand.

They looked for singles in the middle overs and showed the defensive bat to good balls. Later on, they used the long handle to good effect with Hansra hitting two straight sixes, besides seven fours, in his 99-ball innings. Bagai was cautious for the most part but ended up with mustering seven boundaries. Nehemiah Odiambo's two wickets towards the end hinted at a possible twist in the match but it proved too little too late in the end.

Earlier, Tanmay Mishra(51) and Thomas Odoyo(51) and shared a 57-run stand for the seventh wicket to help Kenya recover from a bad start after electing to bat. The Mumbai-born Mishra was involved in a critical 52-run partnership with captain Jimmy Kamande (22) for the sixth wicket after the team was tottering at 57/5 at the end of 15 overs. Paceman Henry Osinde(4/26) was the pick of the bowlers as he ran through the Kenyan top order.

Kenya lost their top three batsmen at the score of 21 in seven overs. The batsmen upfront struggled against the pace of Osinde and Harvir Baidwan (2/41), who increased his tally to nine wickets in the tournament. Osinde maintained a nagging off-stump line from ball one and was rewarded with a wicket on the second ball of the match, picking up the experienced Maurice Ouma for a duck.

He next castled the 20-year-old Waters (2) and Kenya were reeling at 7 for two in five overs. David Obuya (2), who scored a fifty in the last match against Sri Lanka, was Osinde's third victim. The experienced duo of Collins Obuya and Steve Tikolo departed soon after that brought Mishra and Kamande at the crease. The pair showed character and prevented another embarrassment for the team, which lost its previous three matches by huge margins.

Mishra's 73-ball knock was well constructed and included only three boundaries. He took his time in the middle and did not play a lose shot unlike the other batsmen. He was quick to give strike to the more experienced Odoyo, who went after the bowlers and smashed five fours and a six in his 62-ball innings.