da prosport bet： Kenya’s four-week tour of Sri Lanka finished how it had started atNondescripts Cricket Club grounds on Monday: in defeat
Charlie Austin25-Feb-2002Kenya’s four-week tour of Sri Lanka finished how it had started atNondescripts Cricket Club grounds on Monday: in defeat. However, despite theanti-climatic loss of their final one-day game against Sri Lanka A, thevisitors leave in high spirits having won the series in notoriouslydifficult conditions for touring teams.During the past week they shown that they possess a clutch of youngplayers with natural flair for the limited overs game, who can join forceswith the established core – Maurice Odumbe, Steve Tikolo, Ravindu Shah andMartin Suji – to form a competitive side in the 2003 World Cup.”The feeling within the team has changed,” revealed the Kenyan managerHarilal Shah, adding, “They’re now playing like they can win a match againststrong opposition.”And we have some really exciting young players coming through like ThomasOdoyo – perhaps our best one-day player already – Collins Obuya and DavidObuya.””This experience here will give us some confidence for our match against SriLanka in the World Cup, where the home conditions are going to give us achance,” he warned Sanath Jayasuriya’s side, who will play their fourth gameof the tournament against Kenya in Nairobi.For the time being though Kenya’s lack of depth remains a problem and theabsence of three key players today – Collins Obuya (dislocated finger),Ravindu Shah (dehydration) and Thomas Odoyo (hamstring) – left them withinsufficient firepower.Sri Lanka A, eager to please in front of the national selectors and coachafter two poor performances, produced a professional exhibition with halfcenturies from Gayan Ramnakumara (55), Tillakaratne Dilshan (55) and UpulChandana (64).Set a stiff 261 run target, Kenya never looked in the hunt after the cheapdismissal of Steve Tikolo (0) and Maurice Odumbe (6), slipping to 59 forfive in the 13th over, before eventually being bowled out for 198.Kaushalya Weeraratne, an exciting 21-year-old all-rounder still strugglingto live up the expectations that saw him play 10 ODIs before his 20thbirthday, found his rhythm with the new ball taking three wickets in aslippery opening spell.After Pulasthi Gunwaratne – also impressive – bowled Kennedy Otieno,Weeraratne had Tikolo caught behind for a duck, Odumbe clean bowled and thenHitesh Modi caught at square leg.Otieno Suji skewered a catch to backward point off Gunaratne and a finalmatch humiliation beckoned before innings of substance from David Obuya andMartin Suji to salvage some respectability.Obuya, who had clobbered 43 from 14 balls on Saturday, was promoted asopener in place of Shah alongside his brother Kennedy Otieno and respondedwell to the challenge, scoring an attractive 62 from 82 balls.Suji, a veteran of 40 ODIs, compiled 49 not out from 94 balls adding 56 withObuya for the sixth wicket and 42 with the fresh-faced Joseph Angara for theninth.Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka A had struggled in the opening overs afterwinning the toss and batting first. Avishka Gunawardene prodded a catch intothe slips in the fifth over before Ramnakumara and Dilshan laboured hard fortheir runs.Gradually, however, the tempo was picked up until Upul Chandana launched athundering assault in the final five overs of the innings, smashing 56 runs,including four sixes and two fours, as he raced to a half century and putthe game beyond the reach of the Kenyans.