Kenya's last chance for victory

	Will Steve Tikolo script himself a perfect farewell? © Thota Sreenivas Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Kenya v Zimbabwe at Kolkata Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Kenya | Zimbabwe

The Big Picture

Kenya v Zimbabwe is a meaningless contest between two teams with one victory between them in this World Cup, so why should anyone watch it? Well, if you are a Kenyan fan, this is a must-watch because it is the last chance they have to win a game in this tournament. If you are a Zimbabwe fan, this campaign must have been painful to watch, but there could be some light at the end of the tunnel. If you are a neutral fan, watch the game to catch some entertaining characters.

Ray Price is one such character. He is enthralling to watch and reminds one of those county cricketers from the days of the yore around whom celebrated writer Neville Cardus would spin a myth. Cardus would have loved Price: He is miserly with the ball and even his run-up, if it can be called that, is miserly. Why waste energy running when you can just walk two steps and let it rip? He almost snarls at the batsmen, loves to sledge, and is known to extend his follow-through to a hand-shaking distance from the batsman. He bowls spin but has a mind of a fast bowler. And he is a fighter. His economy rate is 3.86 from 88 ODIS; not many can boast of such parsimony. It's a pity that he, and his fellow spinners, have been let down so terribly by the batsmen. The captain, Elton Chigumbura, has also been a pale shadow of the hard-hitting batsman that we know he can be. His batting and bowling has been in decline ever since he took over the captaincy - he has picked two wickets at an average of 158.50 from 19 games, and averaged 19.85 with the bat.

His opposite number, Jimmy Kamande, has had an interesting ride in this tournament. He began by talking about playing the "Kenyan brand of cricket", but was let down by his batsmen. Then there was a rumour about a rift within the team that needed his intervention before his team finally showed some admirable resistance against Australia. Tanmay Mishra, who displayed such flair and skill against the Australia spinners, will be the man to watch out for against the Zimbabwe tweakers. Collins Obuya has always been flamboyant and it will be the final farewell song for Steve Tikolo, a Kenyan legend.