A brief history

Zimbabwe v Kenya - A brief history

Martin Williamson

Zimbabwe v Kenya ODI records

Ravi Shah jumps into the arms of team-mate Collins Obuya after Heath Streak was caught for a duck when Kenya played Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup © Cricinfo

Zimbabwe's elevation to Full Member status inside the ICC in 1992 brought a second African country into mainstream international cricket, and their initial success raised hopes that more would join them. Kenya, who had been languishing in the twilight zone of the game when Zimbabwe first played a Test, gradually worked their way through the system, so much so that by the turn of the century they were widely being touted as the next most likely country to follow Bangladesh. That that never happened owes much to several years of internal bickering and mismanagement. But Kenya's stagnation and ultimate downgrading in 2005 (when they lost their unique ODI member status) was not helped by the rapid decline in Zimbabwe's fortunes from the early part of the decade.

The two met 11 times in the 1990s, with Zimbabwe winning every time. That was only to be expected as Zimbabwe were at their zenith while Kenya were slowly building the side that was to reach the 2003 World Cup semi-finals. Their first official meeting (they had previously crossed paths in tournaments such as the ICC Trophy) came in the 1996 World Cup when Zimbabwe won by five wickets (Kenya's moment of glory came two days later when they beat West Indies), and they again met in the 1999 tournament when the outcome was the same. In between Kenya took part in two triangular series involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, losing all seven games against the latter.

In 2002-03 Zimbabwe hosted Kenya for the first time in a three-match series ahead of the World Cup, which Zimbabwe won 2-0 (the third match was washed out). The two sides met again in the 2003 World Cup after both had, remarkably - and aided by points awarded after countries refused to visit Nairobi or Harare on safety grounds - progressed to the Super Six stage. It was Kenya, at the 12th time of asking, who won the game by seven wickets with more than 23 overs to spare. But Zimbabwe were a side in crisis, with serious divisions following the Andy Flower/Henry Olonga black-armband protest earlier in the tournament.

Zimbabwe won the most recent meeting between the two, a rather hastily-arranged tournament in Sharjah days after the World Cup finished. That time it was the Kenyans who were in disarray, only participating at the last minute after a dispute over money owed from the World Cup. That row was to eventually lead to an all-out strike in 2004, and in the intervening period Kenya have hardly taken to the field, while Zimbabwe's self-disintegration is well documented.

Martin Williamson is managing editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

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Series/Tournaments

Kenya tour of Zimbabwe [Feb-Mar 2006]

Teams

Kenya

Zimbabwe