IT was clinical rather than commanding but the West Indies decidedly made their point in their farewell match in the 2003 World Cup here yesterday.
It was that, but for New Zealand’s refusal to fulfil their fixture in Nairobi and Benoni’s summer rain, they, and not Kenya, would have been in the Super Sixes.
Their victory over the inexperienced Africans, already qualifiers by default for the next round, was by the embarrassing margin of 142 runs with 14.1 overs to spare.
It was set up by Chris Gayle’s measured 119, his first major innings of the tournament and his fifth One-day International hundred, and by Man-of-the-Match Vasbert Drakes’ second haul of five wickets in the tournament that brought him level with Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas on 16 as the leading wicket-taker.
The outcome emphasised the yawning gap between the professional and amateur teams that the occasional upset cannot mask.
Kenya gained their berth among the elite six in their third World Cup by luck.
They would hardly have been there but for the four points gifted them by New Zealand’s well founded phobia of terrorism, heightened by the bomb blast in Mombasa a month prior the tournament, and the two points the West Indies were obliged to share with winless Bangladesh in the abandoned match in Benoni.
As enthusiastic and popular as they have been, their presence in the Super Sixes devalues the game’s most prestigious event.
At the same time as the West Indies were on their way to victory, the weather ensured a place in the next round for Zimbabwe, another African team with little prospect of progressing without the benefit of unearned points.
Four of theirs came through England’s refusal, on a host of confusing political, moral and security grounds, to venture into Zimbabwe for their scheduled encounter in Harare and two more through yesterday’s rain that washed out the match against Pakistan in Bulawayo.
That finally put an end to the chances of England, who had only themselves to blame, and Pakistan who would probably have had too much to do to reach the required run-rate.
Kenya have a daunting task ahead for they have to contend with mighty Australia as well as New Zealand and Zimbabwe, the three teams to advance from the other pool of seven.
Judging by their ducking, weaving and flinching yesterday against the raw pace of Jermaine Lawson, they cannot look forward to taking on Australia’s Brett Lee with any relish.
In his only match of the tournament, the strapping, 20-year-old Jamaican opened more eyes than the Kenyans’ with speed consistently timed at over 90 miles an hour and at 94 mph at its fastest. Only Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, Lee and New Zealand’s Shane Bond have recorded faster this tournament.
Yet, by an incongruous quirk of the regulations, there is every chance that Kenya, which started as 250 to one outsiders, could move into the semi-finals without winning another match.
They carry forward 10 points from the preliminary round to the Super Sixes - the four from New Zealand, the four gained from their thoroughly deserved victory over Sri Lanka and one each from wins over non-qualifiers Canada and Bangladesh.
Only Australia, with a maximum 12, go forward with more.
India have eight, Sri Lanka 7.5, New Zealand four and Zimbabwe 3.5. It means that New Zealand and Zimbabwe must win at least two of their matches for the eight points that would carry them above Kenya’s present tally.
New Zealand must take on Australia and India as well as Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe face Sri Lanka and New Zealand before Kenya in the Super Sixes. So their prospects of ousting Kenya for one of the last four spots are not encouraging.
Apart from drawing the ICC’s attention to the various anomalies that have created the unsatisfactory Super Sixes line-up, the West Indies’ triumph further erased memories of the loss in the 1996 World Cup in India when Kenya were making their first appearance on such a stage.
As usual, Kenya bowled and fielded with purpose and discipline but batted with neither. Their highest total in their previous five matches was 217 against Bangladesh and, once the West Indies totalled 246 for seven on a sluggish, but bouncy, pitch, there was only going to be one result.
Kenya bowled with tight control, gave up only three extras, all wides, saved countless runs and held four deep field catches as the West Indies batsmen struggled to find their timing.
For the first time in 16 matches, Gayle carried Shivnarine Chanderpaul as his opening partner, with Wavell Hinds dropped down the order, and the new pair set the foundation, adding 122.
Chanderpaul took the lead role, outscoring Gayle 66 to 55 before he swung a catch to deep square-leg in the 29th over after hitting two sixes over mid-wicket from off-spinner Maurice Odumbe and seven fours.
While Gayle carefully proceeded to his hundred, no one else could get going.
Brian Lara took 30 balls over 10 and then pulled a long-hop to deep midwicket.
Marlon Samuels, in his only match, offered an unaccepted return catch one ball, hit the next for six and then lifted a catch to long-off and Ricardo Powell quickly perished to a skier to the ‘keeper off the bottom edge.
Gayle freed himself to belt two sixes after arriving at his hundred before he was caught at deep cover attempting a third. A measure of his caution was that 79 of his 151 balls were scoreless and he had only eight fours.
Drakes, who has made the most of the experience of six seasons of South African provincial cricket, settled the issue with five of the first seven wickets in 10 consecutive overs.
His method was simple and effective - a full length, a direct line and the occasional surprise bouncer.
As the match meandered towards its inevitable conclusion, Lawson briefly brought it to life.
He began with three nervous wides in his opening over but, once he found his target, he bowled with real venom.
Odumbe, Kenya’s most experienced player, was pushed so far back by the pace he stepped back onto his leg-stump. Collins Oduya fended a throat-seeking lifter to gully and a few others were almost decapitated.
It was a thrilling sight but it came too late in the tournament.