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New Delhi: This is the scrap between bottom feeders the World Cup hasn't been waiting for. For Canada and Kenya, though, it's their one chance to win a game, considering this might turn out to be their last outing in this tournament.
Amid outrage and recrimination at the International Cricket Council's decision to limit the participation of associate teams in future World Cups, both teams are also hard pressed to justify their presence in this tournament. Both have been equally abysmal, failing to last even 45 overs with the bat and registering losses in excess of 200 runs.
It's easy to sympathise with both Canada captain Ashish Bagai and his Kenyan counterpart Jimmy Kamande, though, when they admit they are out of their depth here. "We work hard for qualifying and after that ICC leaves us alone for the next four years," said Kamande, whose team is battling allegations of infighting to add insult to injury. "We have to play the Test nations to improve and that's not happening."
The Delhi-born Bagai, who has been eagerly seeking 50 tickets for all his relatives, is hoping for some home-grown support given the heavy presence of Indian-origin players in the team. But he too was equally defensive when it came to staving off allegations of having gate-crashed an elite party: "When you play top teams once every four years it's obviously a challenge. Yes, it's a bit of a problem."
That "bit of a problem" can remain on the backburner for Monday when the Ferozeshah Kotla hosts what is expected to be a dogfight. More than all the prattle about insufficient exposure — a debatable and highly sensitive issue among the associate nations — it's now time for both teams to sort out cricketing issues of the more internal kind.
This is a clash of egos, then, with enough bragging rights for the winner. Here, Canada seem to have the edge on paper over the steadily declining Kenyans, having beaten them twice in the ICC World Cricket League Division I event in July last year and in the ODI series in Toronto in 2009.
They nearly pulled off the impossible against Pakistan in their quest for an 'Ireland moment' and are hoping their spinners Parth Desai and Balaji Rao will provide in what Bagai termed a "game of spinners". Kenya, though, with the bigger reputation and also more experience of having played top teams, are looking to veteran Steve Tikolo for "inspiration".
Collins Obuya laboured to a half-century against Sri Lanka. That was what his team needed after a couple of early wickets had fallen. He should find it easier against Canada. He has been Kenya's most prolific batsman of late, and possesses a game that can be altered depending on the situation.
Balaji Rao enjoyed his battle against Pakistan's heavyweight middle order, and snapped up Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. The legspinner was unafraid to flight the ball, and though he went for some runs, he tested a line-up that plays spin very well. Kenya don't, and Balaji will be itching to have a go.
Teams from
Canada: Ashish Bagai (C & WK), Harvir Baidwan, Rizwan Cheema (VC), Khurram Chohan, John Davison, Parth Desai, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Balaji Rao, Zubin Surkari, Jimmy Hansra, Tyson Gordon, Karl Whatham
Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (C), Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma (WK), Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo, Seren Waters
Pitch and conditions
The spinners will like the surface. Imran Tahir and Pieter Seelaar certainly did, when South Africa and Netherlands played here. The weather is expected to be moderately warm by Delhi's hot standards.
Stats and trivia
Head to head
Match facts
Monday March 7, 2011 (day/night)
Start time 14:30 local (09:00 GMT)
