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A superb performance from Kenya’s new-ball bowlers put the hosts through to Wednesday’s (tomorrow’s) final with a crushing 158-run victory over Canada here at Jaffrey’s Sports Club.

They will meet Scotland in the final but, far more importantly, they will qualify for September’s Twenty20 World Championship and a cheque for $250,000. In the world of Associate cricket, that’s like winning the National Lottery.

Set a target of 261, Canada had to get the runs inside 37 overs to overtake Kenya’s tournament run-rate, and that proved their undoing as they looked to throw the bat at everything from the off.

Within five overs of their reply, the game was as good as over as they crashed from 26 for 1 to 35 for 5, losing four wickets in 15 balls as Peter Ongondo (5 for 51) and Thomas Odoyo (4 for 39) blasted through the top order.

While John Davison remained, Canada, who had to win themselves to have an outside chance of making the final, had a glimmer of hope. But he was clean bowled by Ongondo for 10 in the eighth over, and that was that.

Under leaden skies and on a damp pitch offering help to the seamers, Kenya also made a shaky start after winning the toss, losing both openers before Steve Tikolo and Ravi Shah engineered a recovery.

But it was Tanmay Mishra (62) and Collins Obuya (48) who really kick-started an innings that was rather drifting, adding 107 in 22 overs for the fifth wicket, and then some late hitting saw the Kenyans to 250.

The Netherlands started the day needing to beat Ireland and hope that their run-rate would be good enough to see them past Kenya and Canada (assuming Canada had won). After a delayed start at Nairobi Gymkhana caused by the rain, they were stuck in by Ireland but Darron Reekers set them on their way to 260 for 7 with 104 off 83 balls, building the platform for Eric Szwarczynski to smack runs in the closing overs.

Scotland versus Bermuda was a low-key encounter between the finalists and the tournament’s whipping boys. Ryan Watson and Gavin Hamilton both made fifties as the Scots eased to 268 for 9 at Ruaraka.

Source:The News

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