ICC World Cup 2011-http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kenya-c752
In the second match of the ongoing ICC World Cup, New Zealand humiliated Kenya, beating them by a convincing ten-wicket margin at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Hamish Bennett scythed through the Kenyan top-order, taking 4 for 16 in a brilliant spell of right-arm seam bowling. Bennett consistently moved the ball off the pitch and troubled the batsmen with his persistent line and length. His brilliant length was
aided by steep bounce and the opposition batsmen were left clueless.
It was a brilliant performance by the Kiwi bowlers, as they wreaked Havoc against the Kenyan players. In doing so, they bundled the opposition out in just 24 overs.
The wicket had a bit of juice in it for the seamers, and they were able to use the conditions in a beneficial way. Spinners did not account for a dismissal, as all the ten wickets were taken by the pacers.
Tim Southee, the premier quick bowler for the Black Caps wreaked havoc for the Kenyan lower-middle order, taking 3 for 16 in a magnificent six-over spell of swing bowling. He tested the batsmen with his late swing in the air, and sometimes, seamed the ball
off the pitch to create doubt in the mind of the batsmen.
Jacob Oram backed it up with a marvelous bowling effort, as the tall medium pacer took three wickets giving away a miserly 3 runs in 3 overs. The conditions ideally suited his style of bowling and he took complete advantage of a seaming pitch.
The spin twins of Nathan McCullum and Daniel Vettori did not pick up a wicket in their combined ten-over spell, though they kept things quite at one giving away nothing easy to the opposition players. In a tight spell of ten overs, both of them conceded
31 runs between them.
Kenya, who won the toss, chose to bat first on pretty decent track for batting. However, they did not manage to cope up with the first hour movement, capitulating for a poor 69-run total.
It was a dismal card for the Kenyan batting, as six batsmen folded for single digit scores, including three ducks. Nevertheless, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Seren-Waters-c89209 remained the top-scorer for his team, amassing 16 runs, while Colin Obuya was the second highest scorer with 14
runs. Only four boundaries were scored in the Kenyan innings.
A grim target of 70 runs was always going to be an easy walk in the park for any batting line-up in the world. New Zealand just did that by getting to the target, without losing any wicket and using only eight overs.
The Kiwi openers went to the park to enjoy themselves. They played their strokes convincingly in order to bring down the target quickly. The opening pair made sure that they bring down the target in a commanding fashion.
Right from the beginning, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill put the opposition bowling attack to the swords. McCullum scored his 26 runs off just 17 deliveries, smashing four crisp boundaries. Meanwhile, Guptill finished the match with a sparkling 39 off
only 32 balls, dispatching seven balls to the fence.
Kenyan bowlers had an off day just like their batting counterparts. They should be excused for their poor display with the white kookaburra, as a dismal 70-run target for many bowling attacks would have been a nightmare.
A message has been sent to the teams around the world that they should not take the Black Caps lightly. With this bowling line-up, they certainly are a force to reckon with.
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