Kenya in Holland means a Dutch treat for SA stand-ins (25 May 1999)

25 May 1999

Kenya in Holland means a Dutch treat for SA stand-ins

Guy Hawthorne Amsterdam

For the out-and-out tournament favourites South Africa, tomorrow's group A World Cup match against Kenya at the Amstelveen ground here is a chance to rest some key players, deserving of a layoff after helping their side to a perfect start to the tournament.

Hansie Cronje's side will do well to remember, however, that in 1996 Kenya beat the West Indies in one of the biggest shocks in any World Cup. Some of South Africa's fast bowlers could well do with a break, and coach Bob Woolmer, after a fielding practice at the ground yesterday, hinted that if changes were to be made they would be in the bowling department.

"Most of the batsmen have indicated they would like to get another knock out in the middle, so if we are going to make changes they will probably be among the bowlers. In saying that, we will leave it up to the players to decide whether they feel they need a break," he said.

South Africa's superb start to the tournament, which has resulted in their odds being slashed to 6-4 favourites, does not mask the fact that too many of their specialist batsmen have performed below expectations.

Captain Cronje's returns to date have been 27 (v India at Hove), eight (v Sri Lanka at Northampton) and 16 (v England at The Oval) and he will be keen to spend a little more time at the crease.

The others have made at least one reasonable score, but the fact that they have not produced consistently is a blot on the horizon that could yet develop into a major storm.

The bowlers, generally, have done their bit and Alan Dawson and maybe even Derek Crookes could get a run here tomorrow, but whether room will be found for Dale Benkenstein remains to be seen.

South Africa's almost laid-back approach to this tournament continues to be a factor.

The damp nets yesterday prevented them from having a full-scale practice, but the players nevertheless were all at ease and quite obviously enjoying the low-key atmosphere here before their return to England for the final group match against Zimbabwe at Chelmsford on Saturday.

Kenya, many thousand-to-one outsiders in this tournament, have not disgraced themselves and, indeed, have a few individuals with the talent to make an impact.

One man who stands out is strike bowler Martin Suji, who is head and shoulders above his bowling teammates.

The man who played for Transvaal B in 1994 was superb against India at Bristol on Sunday, taking 1/26 in his 10 overs in a contest in which the opposition chalked up 329/2.

Steve Tikolo, who has represented Border, and young allrounder Tom Odoyo are also useful players. Tikolo has scored 9 (v Zimbabwe), 71 (v England, where he won the man-of-the-match award) and 58 (v India) and Odoyo might have taken only three wickets but has scored 101 runs in three innings and has only been dismissed twice. His average of 50,5 is a lot better than that of many of the South African front-line batsmen, but the overriding feeling is that the Kenyans lack depth and anything less than an emphatic win for South Africa, on a small ground where boundaries are sure to be a dime a dozen would be a real surprise.