Kenya

Kenya will be hoping to repeat its success of the last time it played at a major event in South Africa, when it reached the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 semi-finals.

Some fantastic cricket by the Kenyans at that tournament, which saw them famously defeat Sri Lanka by 53 runs, before eventually falling to India, helped put Kenyan cricket on the map and it will be hoping to build on its reputation at the ICC World Twenty20.

Solid performances at the CWC 2007, where it recorded a seven-wicket victory over Canada, and respectable displays against both England and New Zealand, will provide Steve Tikolo’s side with some confidence, despite its lack of experience of Twenty20 cricket.

The veteran Tikolo, who became the first Kenyan to score 2,000 ODI runs, will again be a key player for his side, as shown by his valuable half centuries against Canada and England at the CWC 2007.

New Zealand will once again provide opposition for Kenya in a major ICC event, having enjoyed a 148-run win when the teams met in St Lucia at the CWC 2007, while Sri Lanka make up the other team in Group C.

Kenya qualified for the event after it won the ICC World Cricket League 2007 in Nairobi in February, securing not only a place in the ICC World Twenty20 but also a reward of $US 250,000.

Despite losing to Scotland in the group stages of that event, it exacted revenge in the final when David Obuya’s 93, for which he won man of the match, helped the host nation to an eight-wicket victory.

Kenya will be looking to some of its key performers at that event, including its leading run-scorers David Obuya and Thomas Odoyo, as well as Peter Ongondo, whose 15 wickets made him the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, to reproduce similar form in South Africa.

Kenya: Steve Tikolo (captain), Rajesh Bhudiya, Jimmy Kamande, Tanmay Mishra, Lameck Ngoche, Nehemiah Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Ondik Suji, Hiren Varaiya.