Tikolo to step down from captaincy

Steve Tikolo has decided to step down from captaincy after the Champions Trophy next month, according to East Standard. His decision will end a three-year stint as captain that began remarkably, and took Kenya to the semi-finals of the World Cup along the way.

Under his captaincy, Kenya won five of 22 games, but four of those came in the 2003 World Cup against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Canada. Against all odds, Kenya made it to the semi-finals, where they were beaten but had done enough to start a debate about whether they deserved Test status.

Tikolo, who scored two centuries against the India and Pakistan A teams recently, felt it was time to move on and concentrate solely on his batting. "Age is catching up," said Tikolo, "and it is time to pass on the baton to a younger man." The dilemma for the selectors is who the younger man will be. About half the players in the Kenyan side are the same age as Tikolo, and the only obvious stop-gap replacement, Maurice Odumbe, was banned for five years for having links with bookmakers.

In 2001, Tikolo began his captaincy with a huge upset; defeating India by 70 runs. But that was followed by a 10-match losing streak where he performed averagely with the bat. After a slump in form he began to find his touch as the World Cup went on, but did not play many games since.