Whoops!!! - Canada beaten soundly by Kenya

Any momentum Canada may have built up from the Intercontinental Cup victory over Kenya last weekend was lost today on the field at the Toronto Cricket, Skating, and Curling Club. In front of around 200 cricket fans, the Canadian top order failed to perform and were never close to threatening a reachable total posted by the Kenyans in the morning session.

Kenya won the toss and chose to bat on a pitch that was dry and quick (at a quick glance), a product of the warm weather recently here in Toronto. There was surely some tension in both the visitors' pavilion and in the hands of the opening batsmen, as they faced Henry Osinde and Umar Bhatti, the men that took them to 14-4 in the first 8.1 overs of their IC innings. However the match started positively for Kenya as Obuya and Patel took them to 24 for no loss after 5 overs. The innings continued at a resonable run rate which hovered around 4 runs per over for the majority of the morning. After 28 overs Kenya had reached 109-2. At 40 overs, 170-3. In the end, Kenya made some aggressive shots in the final ten overs and reached 237-9 after the 50 overs were completed. The total could have been a lot greater but for four catches made by Canadian fielders within a metre of the boundary rope.

Lunch was spent at the Pheasant & Firkin pub where I enjoyed wonderful bangers, beans, and mash and a pint of Creemore Lager (a fine local beer, for non-Ontarians).

The total of 237 was one which intrigued me throughout lunch. I expected it to be a very close chase, and to depend largely on the first few overs. I was correct, but not pleased with the outcome. Canada perhaps worried too much about the run rate needed, and not enough on batsmen required to reach the total. After 10 overs Canada had 44 runs.....but had lost three wickets. Several of the wickets fell on undisciplined shots, 2 line drives directly at midwicket which were caught and one (which I could have caught) lobbed gently to mid-off. There was also a free wicket given to Kenya when Qaiser Ali thought he was running one, but George Codrington remained in his crease. Two men at the same wicket is not a correct batting formation. This was the beginning of the end as the run rate went down as quick as the wickets. After 30 overs sitting at 110-8, it was all over but the crying. I will mention, however, George Codrington was by far the best batsman for Canada. He only put up 30-odd runs, but batted very well and gave Canada some semblance of a dream of an inkling of a notion of victory. The game finally ended at 129 all out after 37.4 overs. Canada was done, Kenya were jubilant, and I went home to cry.

It was a good morning for Canada, restricting the Kenyans to just 237, but it was a much worse afternoon as there was never a chance of victory. The biggest cheer of the day came as a sarcastic one when Canada passed 100 as a team. Not the century we wanted. Now we look forward to the match tomorrow. There is no precipitation expected to fall between now and tomorrow, so we can expect the pitch to remain dry. The forecast for tomorrow is once again, perfect. Sunny skies and a high temperature of 29C is expected in the fine city of Toronto. We will look for a better batting performance from Canada. Coupled with a similar fielding performance, the second ODI coudl have a very different result.

I will be there once again, providing the ONLY LIVE SCORES in the world (don't I feel special). Tomorrow I will bring further enhanced coverage, trying to give you the individual scores and how wickets fall as well. Since it is two hours since the match ended and there are still no scorecards posted, I will also bring a scoresheet with me and provide you with that as soon as I get home. Until then, thanks for watching.