Zimbabwe beat Kenya by 161 runs

Half-centuries from the trio of Craig,Vusi and Tatenda powered Zimbabwe to an imposing 308 for six.

Zimbabwe spinners backed the impressive performance of their batsmen with a tidy bowling display as they ended their World Cup campaign with a 161-run crushing of Kenya.

Electing to bat,Zimbabwe were powered to an imposing 308 for six with half centuries from Craig Ervine (66),Vusi Sibanda (61) and Tatenda Taibu (53) as the trio helped their team recover from a sluggish start.

Zimbabwe spinners then tormented the Kenyans to skittle them out for 147 in 36 overs in a completely lop-sided battle of minnows at the Eden Gardens.

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Left-arm spinners Ray Price (2/20) and Graeme Cremer (2/28) and off-spinner Greg Lamb (2/21) shared six wickets between them in their last Group A match.

Zimbabwe were already out of contention for a quarterfinal berth but they ended their World Cup campaign with a win and four points to finish at fifth in the group ahead of Canada (2) and Kenya (0).

The Kenyans were never really in the chase. Instead,they showed urgency in getting themselves out.

The Kenyan top-order of Alex Obanda (23),David Obuya (0),Collins Obuya (1),Steve Tikolo (10) and Tanmay Mishra (4) put up a pathetic batting show as half of the side were down by 12 overs with the score reading 44 for five.

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But the lower-order offered some resistance as Kenya avoided the ignominy of getting out for their lowest score 69 — in the World Cup which was against New Zealand in their first Group A match.

Batting at number eight,Nehemiah Odhiambo top-scored for Kenya with a 47-ball 44 which was studded with five boundaries.

Chasing the huge total,Kenya were troubled by Zimbabwe bowlers right from the start and the run-out of Obuya,who scored an unbeaten 98 against Australia,did not help their cause.

In his final appearance,Tikolo had a forgettable 14-ball stay at crease before being trapped by Price for 10.

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Tikolo,who led the side in absence of injured skipper Jimmy Tamande,asked for a review but umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s decision was upheld.

When the 39-year-old maverick Kenyan batsman walked off the Eden,all the Zimbabwean players came up to him and shook hands in a fitting gesture while the sparse crowd gave a standing ovation.

Earlier,half-centuries from the trio of Ervine,Sibanda and Taibu powered Zimbabwe to an imposing 308 for six.

After being reduced to 36/2 in 10 overs,Sibanda (61 from 57 balls) and Taibu (53 from 74 balls) stitched a crucial 110-run partnership from 117 balls for the third wicket to take the Zimbabwe innings forward.