West Indies' Pedro Collins was the pick of the bowlers yesterday. - ReutersCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC:
BRIAN LARA's 15th one-day international hundred powered the West Indies to a 29-run win in their Champions Trophy Pool 3 match at the Sinhalese Sports Club yesterday.
Lara, playing with clear physical discomfort, smashed 111 as the West Indies, electing to bat, made 261 for six off their 50 overs and then restricted the Kenyans to 232 all out off 49.1 overs to maintain their slim hopes of advancing to the semi-finals.
The West Indies, who can only get to the semi-final stage if the Kenyans score an unlikely win over South Africa on Friday, started cautiously but quickened the pace after five overs and got a 60-run opening stand off 11 overs from Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Gayle slammed opening bowler Martin Suji for two consecutive sixes in the seventh over - the second a thunderous flat shot that cleared the long-off boundary - but he departed for 33 off 42 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Attempting to pull pacer Thomas Odoyo, the left-handed Gayle top-edged a high catch to Toni Suji running around at short mid-wicket.
Chanderpaul struggled for 43 before he was caught behind - top-edge - cutting at spinner Maurice Odumbe, to end a 55-run second-wicket partnership with Lara.
The double world batting record holder had three close shaves before registering his first one-day international hundred in 27 matches - since 2001 against Australia.
He survived a confident caught behind appeal trying to steer to third-man against spinner Collins Obuya, who also failed to hold a return catch against him, and Tony Suji floored his lofted drive at long-on.
Tikolo (2-49) removed captain Carl Hooper (20) to terminate a team-best 64-run third-wicket alliance with Lara, who quickened his scoring rate as he moved towards his hundred.
He raced to 91 with a savage on-driven boundary off Thomas Odoya, and then lofted a Tikolo full toss to the long-off boundary, before celebrating his hundred with a spectacular pull off Odoya that ripped low through mid-wicket for four.
When the 33-year-old Lara was bowled by Tikolo attempting a huge drive, he had faced 120 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes.
"Brian (Lara) is a world class player, we all know what he is capable of and he came through for us today which was important, it's just a shame we aren't sitting on a semi-final berth now," Hooper said after the game.
Wavell Hinds boosted the run-rate with 20 - two sixes and a four - off just seven balls, and Ramnaresh Sarwan also posted a brisk 20 off 21 balls.
Ridley Jacobs (two) and Mahendra Nagamootoo (0) were not out at the end.
Needing to score at a rate of 5.24 runs per over to win, Kenya were steady but never authoritative throughout their run-chase, led by a resistant 93 off 91 balls from Steve Tikolo, their captain.
Tikolo and Brijal Patel (35) posted an even 50 for the third wicket in 8.3 overs, and Kenya temporarily lost their momentum when Patel attempting to flick legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo (2-47) through the on-side, lofted an easy catch to Hooper at short mid-wicket.
Tikolo's valiant effort ended when he tried to swing pacer Mervyn Dillon (2-45) over the off-side and was bowled.
Left-arm pacer Pedro Collins was impressive to end with figures of three for 18 off 9.1 overs, bowling Martin Suji with the first ball of the 50th over to finish the game.
"'Peddy' (Pedro Collins) has come on leaps and bounds since he's been an integral part of the team," Hooper said of the 26-year-old Barbadian.
Off-spinner Gayle was also strong at the end and picked up two for 38 off nine overs while Kenya lost their last four wickets for 13 runs, as the Windies rebounded from their last-ball defeat to South Africa on Friday.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies innings
C. Gayle c A. Suji b Odoyo 33
S. Chanderpaul c D. Obuya b Odumbe 43
B. Lara b Tikolo 111
C. Hooper c Otieno b Tikolo 20
R. Sarwan run out 20
W. Hinds run out 20
R. Jacobs not out 2
M. Nagamootoo not out 0
Extras (b1, lb5, w3, nb3) 12
TOTAL (six wkts - 50 overs) 261
Fall: 1-60, 2-115, 3-179, 4-236, 5-246, 6-258
Bowling: M. Suji 9-1-49-0 (1nb, 3w); Odoyo 9-0-63-1 (1nb); A. Suji 5-0-16-0; Odumbe 10-1-21-1; C. Obuya 10-0-57-0 (1nb); Tikolo 7-0-49-2.
Kenya innings
K. Otieno b Collins 0
R. Shah b Nagamootoo 27
B. Patel c Hooper b Nagamootoo 35
S. Tikolo b Dillon 93
M. Odumbe lbw Dillon 9
T. Odoyo c Hooper b Collins 15
D. Obuya run out 3
C. Obuya c Chanderpaul b Gayle 19
A. Suji c Collins b Gayle 7
M. Suji b Collins 1
J. Angara not out 0
Extras (b6, lb14, w2, nb1) 23
TOTAL (all out - 49.1 overs) 232
Fall: 1-7, 2-51, 3-101, 4-143, 5-170, 6-178, 7-219, 8-231, 9-231.
Bowling: Dillon 10-2-45-2 (1nb); Collins 9.1-3-18-3; Drakes 9-0-38-0; Nagamootoo 8-0-47-2 (1w); Hooper 4-0-26-0 (1w); Gayle 9-0-38-2.
Result: West Indies won by 29 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Brian Lara (West Indies).
