Cricket World Cup history: Steve Tikolo, Kenya’s valiant warrior

One of the most resilient cricketers on the international scene, Steve Tikolo has been a valiant warrior for Kenya. It is not easy to play for the minnows year after year, to retain enthusiasm in the face of repeated defeats, and to keep performing consistently, often brilliantly. And yet Tikolo did it with aplomb.

When Kenya appeared in the World Cup as an entity in their own right, Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe were their best players. Odumbe besmirched his image later in the match-fixing saga, but Tikolo soldiered on through five World Cups, a compact and classy stroke-player.

Their debut in the premier event showed just why Tikolo was rated so high. Taking on hosts India in 1996, Tikolo put on 96 for the third wicket with Odumbe. He top-scored with 65 off 83 deliveries with 4 fours and a six.

Kenya could only post 199 for six in their 50 overs though. A brilliant Sachin Tendulkar century settled the issue, but Tikolo got a consolation wicket of Navjot Sidhu.

After two failures Tikolo top-scored with 29 in the stunning upset of the West Indies. Though Kenya were bowled out for just 166 in the last over, they had the once-invincible Caribbean side on the mat very quickly.

The highest partnership was 20, and none of the batsmen got to 20. West Indies crashed to 93 all out in 35.2 overs.

It was an exhilarating triumph for the enthusiastic Kenyan side, something they might only have dreamed of.

As often happens, the euphoria was short-lived for the team. They had a bitter experience at Kandy as Sri Lanka piled up the then highest ODI total of 398 for five.

Tikolo, characteristically, was not ready to give up without a fight. He put to the sword an attack comprising an ascendant Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, adding 137 for the fourth wicket with Hitesh Modi.

Tikolo was cruising blissfully when he was yorked by off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena just four short of his century. He had played just 95 deliveries and crashed 8 fours and 4 sixes.

The task was far too great but Tikolo had asserted Kenyan pride in no uncertain terms. This was to remain his top-score in the World Cup.

It was an impressive performance in the tournament by Tikolo with a near-hundred, best-ever for Kenya then, near-40 average, highest for his team in the tournament, both his half-centuries against quality attacks, a near-81 strike-rate and an aggregate close to 200. It was a superb effort for a first-timer.

Zimbabwe showed just why they were such a good team in the 1999 World Cup, with an easy win over Kenya, although Tikolo was unable to make an impression.

It was not long before he did make his mark, against England, as he put on exactly a hundred for the second wicket with Ravindu Shah. He went on to score a fine 71 off 107 deliveries with 8 boundaries. Kenya were bowled out for 203 in the last over, which the hosts overhauled in just 39 overs.

India, fired by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, piled up 329 for two in their 50 overs. Tikolo top-scored once again with 58, putting on 118 with Kennedy Otieno for the third wicket in 16.4 overs. He negotiated 75 deliveries, stroking 6 fours and a six. Again Kenya suffered a heavy defeat.

South Africa were also too strong, and this time Tikolo was dismissed for just 10.

Sri Lanka were not stretched either as Tikolo hit a quick-fire 19 off 17 balls with four boundaries. Kenya lost all their five matches in the tournament. Tikolo had the highest aggregate for his team once more.

He was captain in 2003, and though Kenya had their best World Cup to date, Tikolo’s bat did not fire for the most part even as he got his customary two fifties. But by now he had developed his off-spin bowling and had begun picking up wickets regularly.

Following a heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa, Kenya beat Canada by four wickets with 9 balls to spare. Tikolo shared an 84-run second-wicket stand in 17 overs with Shah. He scored 42 runs off 49 deliveries with 6 fours.

After New Zealand conceded a walkover, Kenya scored a brilliant win over Sri Lanka at Nairobi that virtually earned them a super-six berth. Tikolo scored only 10 in a total of 210 for nine. But after leg-spinner Collins Obuya had destroyed the Lankan middle-order, Tikolo grabbed two late wickets, conceding just 13 runs in his five overs. Kenya won by 53 runs.

Tikolo scored 27 against Bangladesh but it took a disciplined bowling effort, first by medium-pacer Martin Suji and then the off-spin of man-of-the-match Odumbe and Tikolo himself, to clinch victory. Tikolo grabbed the last three wickets, giving away just 14 runs in 5.2 overs.

Kenya lost badly to the West Indies but advanced to the second stage of the World Cup for the first time.

India were far too strong, but a superb bowling performance fetched Kenya a comfortable win over Zimbabwe which, to their delight, clinched them a place in the semi-finals. Again Tikolo cleaned up the last two wickets, finishing with two for two in 2.1 overs.

They then ran into an Australian side in tremendous form and a Brett Lee in a devastating mood. The speedster blasted the top-order and Tikolo found himself walking in at 3 for three at the end of four overs. All he could do was to carry out a salvage operation.

He found an ally once again in Shah and they added 79 for the fourth wicket. Modi too helped him put on 49. Tikolo finally brought up his first half-century of the tournament but was dismissed soon after for 51. He had faced 100 deliveries and hit 5 fours.

It was an incredible achievement for a team on the fringes of the big league to reach the semi-final of the World Cup. India were far too good for them but Tikolo had the satisfaction of dismissing Tendulkar and then bringing up his second successive fifty.

He came in to another crisis at 30 for three and saw wickets falling all around him. It was only when Collins Obuya joined him that they put together 57 for the eighth wicket in just over 10 overs. Tikolo scored 56 off 83 balls and struck 5 fours, and 2 sixes which came in a Yuvraj Singh over in which he crashed two boundaries as well.

Even though it was not a fruitful tournament for Tikolo with the willow, he did score two fifties at the end, as usual off top-class bowling line-ups, against the two teams that went on to contest the final. With the ball it was Tikolo’s best World Cup. He topped Kenya’s averages at 17 for his nine wickets at an economy-rate of 4.19. It was difficult to leave him out of the frame.

The 2007 World Cup was Tikolo’s finest with the bat by far and it was a pity that the format decreed that he play just three matches. Taking on Canada, Tikolo bagged two wickets for 34 off 9 overs. He then added 67 for the third wicket with opener Maurice Ouma, and an unbroken 84 with Tanmay Mishra, bringing up a seven-wicket win.

Tikolo returned unbeaten with 72, having faced 76 balls and hit 7 fours and a six. This performance earned him the man-of-the-match award.

Kenya were annihilated by New Zealand, but Tikolo played a valiant innings against England. While wickets tumbled regularly at the other end, Tikolo complied a classy 76, top-scoring yet again. He dealt with 97 deliveries and stroked 8 boundaries.

His last act in the tournament was to knock back the stumps of man-of-the-match Ed Joyce as England registered a facile win.

Kenya were out of the tournament. This time Tikolo topped the batting averages for his team by a long way at 77.50, and the bowling averages as well at 24.25, and easily had the highest aggregate of runs, 155 runs in three innings.

By now, in four World Cups, Steve Tikolo had scored 724 runs at an average of 34.47, and strike-rate of 69.48. He had scored two half-centuries in each of the four tournaments, and had 10 catches to his credit. He had prised out 14 wickets at 28.12 apiece, and economy of 5.30. These are fine all-round figures, particularly for a player from a minor team.

The 2011 World Cup was an unmitigated disaster for Tikolo and the team. Kenya lost heavily in all their six matches. At nearly 40 years of age Tikolo was clearly over the hill and it showed in his performances.

In five matches he managed a total of 44 runs with a highest of 13, and a strike-rate of 51.16. He had just one wicket to show for his efforts, conceding 117 runs. All this caused his overall World Cup record to slump markedly.

In the one match, against Australia, that the Kenyan batsmen led by Collins Obuya acquitted themselves honorably, Tikolo did not play.

He returned as captain in the last face-off with Zimbabwe in the absence of the regular skipper Jimmy Kamande, who was nursing a strained ligament in his knee. Zimbabwe hoisted a huge total of 308 for six.

Kenya slumped to 10 for two in the 4th over, setting the stage for Tikolo to step into the crisis. In the next over he showed glimpses of his days of glory, delightfully stroking two deliveries off his pads to the mid-wicket boundary. Not long after, however, he was trapped leg-before by Raymond Price for 10.

As the Kenyan legend walked away, all the Zimbabwean players hurried to bid him a fond farewell, and whatever people were present at the Eden Gardens gave him a standing ovation. An era had passed. Kenya, sadly, suffered another heavy defeat - by 161 runs.

Tikolo is, doubtlessly, Kenyan cricket’s hero. For well nigh a decade-and-a-half it was hard to imagine a Kenyan team without Tikolo, one of the most unassuming, yet reliable, performers for an unfancied side.

A delightful strokeplayer on his day, Tikolo was also one of the most dignified on and off the field. He was a true role model for those who constantly find themselves up against the odds.

Steve Tikolo’s World Cup record:

Matches 28, Highest Score 96, Runs 768, Average 29.53, Strike-rate 68.08, Fifties 8, Catches 10

Wickets 15, Average 34.13, Best 3/14, Economy 5.36

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