ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

KENYA v NAMIBIA The match was originally scheduled to start on 30 January 2008 in Nairobi, but serious unrest following the Kenyan general election on 27 December 2007 led to security concerns for the safety of the players and officials. The ICC, with the agreement of Cricket Kenya, switched the match to Sharjah to take place after Namibia’s match there against the United Arab Emirates and before Kenya’s away fixture against the same country. Uncertain how the pitch would play following the Emirates-Namibia encounter, where it generally favoured spin but gave occasional assistance to the seamers, Steve Tikolo, after winning the toss, gambled on asking Namibia to bat first. Overall, the decision proved justified as, despite their recent experience of the conditions, Namibia’s batsmen struggled, first against the pace attack of Thomas Odoyo and Peter Ongondo and then the spin of Hiren Varaiya, Jimmy Kamande and Steve Tikolo. Raymond van Schoor, Gerrie Snyman, Bjorn Kotze and Tobias Verwey all made starts but only Verwey showed signs of dominance and he ran out of partners; his undefeated 43 was made at a run a ball, which contrasted with van Schoor’s dour display of a strike rate of 34.2. Maurice Ouma batted effectively and aggressively in Kenya’s reply which otherwise began disastrously against Louis Klazinga and Kola Burger. The first two wickets went for 4 runs and the third with the score on 35. The change from seam to left-arm spin accounted for Ouma but Tikolo and Collins Obuya rescued the situation with a partnership of 66. After Tikolo’s dismissal, Odoyo continued the good work with Collins Obuya so that Kenya trailed by only 35 runs at the close with five wickets in hand. Collins Obuya and Odoyo extended their stand to 75 on day two before the latter was leg-before to Kola Burger. Four balls later, a similar fate befell Kamande and two further wickets meant that Kenya had gone from 183 for five to 189 for nine, a lead of only six runs. Varaiya then frustrated Namibia in a last-wicket partnership of 40, surviving 30 balls, hitting 12 runs, all in boundaries, before becoming Kola Burger’s fifth victim and his third leg-before. Collins Obuya remained undefeated, his cautious innings of 76, made at a a strike rate of 43.4 and including ten fours, providing the backbone that Kenya so needed. With a lead of 46, Kenya began to dominate the match as Odoyo and Ongondo took three wickets for 18 runs. Third seamer, Nehemiah Odhiambo, and the spin of Varaiya and Tikolo took out Namibia’s middle order, reducing them to 105 for six. Nothing, however, prepared Kenya’s bowlers for the onslaught at the other end. Gerrie Snyman batted like a man possessed and, in a remarkable innings, hit all the bowling indiscriminately all round the ground. By the close he had made 194 runs, some 80% of Namibia’s total, and struck 18 fours and nine sixes, i.e. 65% of his runs in boundaries. Although he was particularly effective in keeping the strike, his effort would not have been possible without the support of Michael Durant. Together they added 133 for the seventh wicket, Durant surviving 141 balls for an obdurate 13 runs, a strike rate of 9.2. He was the only other Namibian batsman to reach double figures but, unfortunately for his team, he succumbed in the third to last over of the day and Namibia lost a further wicket before the close. The third morning saw Snyman reach his double hundred in the first over and make 36 of the 41 runs added before becoming the tenth wicket to fall. Namibia were now 236 runs ahead, almost entirely a result of Snyman’s truly magnificent display. He had scored 81.5% of his country’s second-innings total, at a strike rate of 114.4, and 67% of the runs in boundaries. Single-handedly, he demolished the Kenyan attack, with Steve Tikolo trying eight bowlers before Collins Obuya finally found a way past his bat. Kenya seemed totally demoralised and never looked likely to get near what should have been no more than a reasonably challenging target. Although seven batsmen reached double figures, none made 20, as Kola Burger, Kotze and Louis Burger claimed wickets at regular intervals. Two wickets went down for 18 and, when Kotze obtained the wicket of Tikolo before he had scored, all heart went out of the Kenyan team. They folded meekly to give victory to Namibia by 101 runs, a match return for Kola Burger of nine for 105, and Kenya the embarrassment of losing in three days. There was no doubt about the Man of the Match. It had to be Gerrie Snyman for what was undoubtedly the performance of his career. 140 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08