Yesterday’s 104 run drubbing of Bermuda to take the series 3-0 was a great result for Kenya. Not only did the team firmly stamp their authority on the opposition, they played clever cricket in doing so.

Batting first, Kenya were able to constantly keep their run rate on the rise as Tikolo showed why he is so highly rated as a batsman. His century was the backbone of the innings, and earned him both Petro Oil Kenya Man of the Match and Player of the Series, but it was not the only factor. Ouma (47), Patel (25), Mishra (44), Collins Obuya (17) and especially Odoyo (35 off 19) at the end, all did their bit to take the team past the 300 mark for the first time in an ODI this year. This was an important step for Kenya as the batting continues to improve and gives renewed hope for the WCL in January and the World Cup in March.

In reply, Bermuda never really looked like they felt the score was within reach. Odoyo got Kenya off to a perfect start with a brace of wickets in his first two overs, and though Minors (68) and Romain put on 98 for the third wicket, they were unable to prevent the asking rate slipping away. Tikolo rotated his bowlers well and was obviously intent on making sure the youngsters and Kamande got a fair chance to show their worth and gain experience.

Odhiambo, Varaiya and Kamande all bowled their complete allotment of 10 overs and the skipper will feel reasonably comfortable with their efforts. Kamande finished with career best figures of 3/32, a good comeback after his first couple of overs were expensive. Odhiambo too came back well after taking some initial stick, and though he finished wicket-less, the experience would have been valuable. Hiren Varaiya once again bowled well only conceding 27 off his left arm spin. Unlucky not to be rewarded with a wicket, he none the less made sure that Bermuda were never going to be able to get the runs required to even get close to winning the game. Tikolo held back himself and strike bowlers Odoyo and Ongondo and it is heartening to see that Kenya can still win so comfortable and have 10 overs from the more experienced bowlers left in reserve.

With time running out before the January when the winner of the WCL wins the right to take part in the Twenty-20 World Cup, Roger Harper and the selectors must feel that things are finally moving in the right direction.

Long-term, the future is looking brighter than it has all year. With Tikolo the only player in the eleven who is over 30 and the average age of the team only 25.5, this looks like a unit that will be able to represent Kenya for several years. This should give Cricket Kenya the breathing space needed to set up the infrastructure required to bring on the next generation. This year has seen Mishra and Varaiya added to the team with great success and if Kenya can continue to bring on two or three players of this quality each year, competition for places will soon become the norm rather than the exception. For this to happen, we must of course see the promised Provincial League actually take place, and also the youth feeder system get up and running. With a couple of months before the Associates descend on Nairobi for the WCL, this is the time for these projects to go ahead.

A final positive note from the series was the successful hosting of the series by Mombasa Sports Club. This must give great confidence to Cricket Kenya and the Coast Cricket Association and should have a positive impact on cricket in the region and sponsorship. Petro Oil Kenya sponsored the series, a significant victory for CK who have so far had trouble with this side of the administration.

This series should mark a turning point in investor attitude towards cricket. Not only was the event well organised and the sponsor given plenty of publicity in the national press, but the national team also won convincingly. What more should a sponsor need? Ishan Sports have already indicated they are keen to extend their sponsorship of the national side, so hopefully we will see more companies coming forward in the next few weeks. It is the very least Cricket Kenya and the national side deserve after such a comprehensive illustration of their abilities.