OTD in 1996: Kenya, playing their first World Cup, pulled off one of the greatest upsets of them when they bowled West Indies out for 93 in Pune

Kenya participated in the ODI World Cup for the first time in 1996. Their campaign was certainly underwhelming but there was one unprecedented victory that took everyone by surprise. In the group stage, Kenya trounced the mighty West Indies in a low-scoring encounter in the most unexpected manner. 

First Innings

Winning the toss the West Indies skipper Richie Richardson invited Kenya to bat first. As per the expectations, Kenya struggled to get off to a good start against a formidable West Bowling attack. The pace battery of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, and Ian Bishop strangled the opposition batters with early breakthroughs. The former World Champions were in complete control at one point when they had reduced Kenya to 6-81 and a comeback from the newcomers appeared to be impossible. 

However, the lower middle order tried to keep the team afloat in the contest. The partnership between Hitesh Modi and Thomas Odoyo gave some breathing space to Kenya. The two carried the team beyond the 100-run mark and eventually, the Kenyans ended up having 166 runs on the scoreboard at the end of the first innings. Courtney Walsh and Roger Harper were the pick of the bowlers for West Indies with 3 wickets each.

Second Innings 

At the start of the second innings, the match was heavily tilted in the favour of 2-time World Cup winners but the newcomers showed the nerves of steel to script history. The duo of Martin Suji and Rajab Ali gave three early setbacks to the opposition by getting rid of some of the key batters. Stalwarts like Richie Richardson and Brian Lara fell prey to the unfamiliarity of the Kenyan bowlers. West Indies could not recover from these blows and the situation worsened. 

The middle-order was left clueless and none of the players in the middle order could muster enough courage to put a halt to the shambolic batting order collapse. In the end, Kenya managed to pull off an unbelievable victory by wrapping up the second innings for a low total of 93 runs. Rajab Ali and Maurice Odumbe topped the bowling charts for Kenya with 3 wickets each. This historic result also hinted at the changing world order of cricket and the emergence of new teams that were ready to challenge the hegemony of established powerhouses.