Kenya captain Steve Tikolo led from the front as his side beat fellow minnows Canada by seven wickets in the opening Group C World Cup match here Wednesday. With Test nations England and New Zealand lying in wait, this fixture appeared to represent both the Africans' and the North Americans best chance of a victory.
In the end Kenya, the shock semi-finalists of four years ago, won decisively. Chasing 200 to win, they finished on 203 for three with 40 balls to spare. Experienced skipper Tikolo was 72 not out after opener Maurice Ouma had made 58. Tanmay Mishra was unbeaten on 35.
Tikolo had already had a good day in the field. After winning the toss, he was one of three Kenyan spinners who between them took five wickets for 78 runs in 29 overs as Canada's innings slowed to a crawl after a solid start.