Thomas Odoyo hit his maiden ODI century to guide Kenya to a close 4 wicket win over Canada at Nairobi Gymkhana this afternoon. Odoyo, who came in with Kenya in tatters at 5/49 after the top order had thrown away a decent start to collapse from 30 for no loss, batted with poise and determination to illustrate why he was a deserving recipient of the ICC’s Associate ODI player of the year. He rebuilt the Kenyan innings together with Alex Obanda, who hit a fighting 30 on debut, and then accelerated the run rate with the aid of Jimmy Kamande to first bring the run rate to below 6 an over and then to guide his team home with 8 balls to spare.

Earlier, Kenya had won the toss and sent Canada in to bat. Elijah Otieno picked up a wicket almost immediately to get his ODI debut off to a great start. Canada rallied and put on 32 for the second wicket when Trevin Bastiampillai was run out for 20. Again Canada rebuilt only to lose momentum with a wicket as Nehemiah Odhiambo got in on the act. It was to be a familiar pattern throughout the Canadian innings with only opener Abdul Jabbar (44) and Arvind Kandappah (69*) showing the necessary grit.

Kandappah batted well for his 69 and could have helped Canada post a bigger score had he received more support. Umar Bhatti provided a cameo 22 of 17, but Kenya’s bowlers kept sharing the wickets around and Canada were all out for 230 with an over and a half left of the innings. Pick of the bowling for Kenya was veteran policeman Lameck Onyango who took career best figures of 3/29.

It was a tight victory for Kenya at the end, but it needn’t have been. Kenya’s openers looked to have the chase well under control in the first five overs. Maurice Ouma was scoring freely at one end off Calvert Hooper and though Umar Bhatti had David Obuya tied down at the other end, Kenya were ahead of the run rate. Obuya however allowed frustration to get the better of him and he perished trying to go over the top.

Obuya’s wicket triggered a senseless collapse from Kenya. Nehemiah Odhiambo was for some reason sent in as a pinch hitter, despite Kenya being ahead of the run rate. It was an experiment that lasted one ball and instead of Alex Obanda coming in at three to consolidate, he came in facing the hat-trick ball under unnecessary pressure. Showing far superior maturity than some of the more experienced players in the side, he buckled down to rebuild the innings, but received no support from the rest of the top order.

Maurice Ouma continued to go after Hooper, but having already hit two fours in the next over, played one too many big shots and holed out to Bastiampillai. Steve Tikolo perished to an Umar Bhatti outswinger the very next over and Kenya were in serious trouble at 4/41 after only 8 overs. Collins Obuya lasted marginally longer than his captain, but was adjudged lbw not playing a shot to Durand Soraine in the 11th.

At 5/49, Canada had their hosts on the ropes, but they were unable to take the one more wicket they needed to continue the route and one of Kenya’s most experienced batsmen set about showing the newest cap how to win a match from a seemingly hopeless situation. Fresh from an unbeaten century in the Intercontinental Cup, Odoyo continued where he left off scoring at a little under a run a ball. Obanda played an uncharacteristic, but sensible counter-foil for his vice-captain - a very positive sign for the future for Kenya. Their partnership lasted 89 runs and though Obanda finally perished trying to up the rate, Kenya were back in the game.

Jimmy Kamande joined Odoyo with the run rate still over 7.8 an over, but the pair ticked the scorecard over and then punished the bad balls to gradually edge it down. Odoyo passed his previous highest score of 83 in style with a four cut past point and one got the feeling that once again he was going to get Kenya out of jail. A brief period of nerves in the nineties made it look for a moment that it might be Kamande, who finished unbeaten on 37 from 31, who would hit the winning runs, but Odoyo gathered himself and went past his century with a drive through extra cover in the 48th over. With that milestone under his belt, it was only a matter of when the killer blow would fall and he delivered it the next over with two fours of Sunil Dhaniram to win the match.

A fine effort yet again from Odoyo, but one that should not have been necessary had sense prevailed at the top of the order. Still, Kenya continue their dominance over Canada who have one more bite at the cherry on Saturday. With Odoyo having so far hit two unbeaten centuries against them in as many matches, and the trend of continued personal bests being set, it will be the Kenyans who go in with the most confidence of completing a 2-0 win in the series.