HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka CMC – Skipper Shahid Afridi spun his way through Kenya’s brittle batting to bowl Pakistan to a confident 205-run victory in their Group A opening match of the World Cup  at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, yesterday.
Afridi scalped five wickets for 16 runs from eight overs while Umar Gul took 2-12 from 4.1 overs, as Kenya were dismissed for 112 in 33.1 overs in reply to his team’s 317-7 made off their 50 overs, thanks to Umar Akmal who struck eight fours and one six in the top score of 71 from 52 balls that later earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.
Collins Obuya led the way for the Kenyans with 47 from 58 balls, but no other batsman passed 20, as Kenya’s feeble response followed a solid batting effort from Pakistan, which featured four batsmen passing 50.
Misbah-ul-Haq propped up Umar Akmal with 65 from 69 balls that included one four and two sixes, Kamran Akmal, Umar’s brother, made 55 from 67 balls, and Younis Khan got 50 from 67 balls, with Thomas Odoyo being the most successful Kenyan bowler with three for 41 from seven overs.
Kenya then limped to 73 for two in the 23rd over, when Afridi bowled Steve Tikolo for 13, which precipitated a collapse that saw four wickets, three of them to Afridi, fall for 28 in the space of 28 balls to leave Kenya reeling on 87 for six.
Obuya ushered Kenya over the 100-run threshold, but the rot took root, when he swung a flighted delivery from Afridi, and was caught at long-on in the 31st over to hand the leg-spinner his fifth scalp, as the Africans lost their last four wickets for 11 in the space of 15 deliveries.
Earlier, Pakistan were reeling on 12 for two in the seventh over, after losing openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad cheaply, before their middle-order responded diligently to the crisis, and put their side in a comfortable place with resolute batting.
Kamran Akmal and Younis added 98 for the third wicket, and Misbah and Umar put on 118 for the fifth wicket to give Pakistan a firm grip on the match.
The Pakistanis face Sri Lanka in their next match this coming Saturday at the Premadasa Stadium in the Sri Lanka capital, where Kenya also meet the World Cup co-hosts next Tuesday.
The World Cup continues today when the Darren Sammy-led West Indies make their entry against South Africa at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi, India.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN innings
M. Hafeez c Waters b Otieno    9
A. Shehzad c Kamande b Odoyo    1
K. Akmal stp. Ouma b Ngoche    55
Y. Khan lbw b Tikolo    50
Misbah-ul-Haq c Otieno b Kamande    65
U. Akmal c Obuya b Odoyo    71
S. Afridi lbw b Odoyo    7
A. Razzaq not out    8
A. Rehman not out    5
Extras: (lb-3, w-37, nb-6)    46
Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs)    317
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-12, 3-110, 4-155, 5-273, 6-289, 7-289.
Bowling: Odoyo 7-2-41-3 (w-5), Otieno 9-1-49-1 (nb-2), Odhiambo 7-0-65-0 (nb-3, w-3), Ngoche 10-0-46-1 (w-1), Kamande 7-0-64-1 (w-4); Tikolo 9-0-44-1 (nb-1), Obuya 1-0-5-0.

KENYA innings
M. Ouma c K. Akmal b Gul    16
S. Waters run-out    17
C. Obuya c Shehzad b Afridi    47
S. Tikolo b Afridi    13
T. Mishra lbw b Afridi    6
R. Patel c U. Akmal b Hafeez    0
J. Kamande lbw b Afridi    2
T. Odoyo lbw b Afridi    0
N. Odhiambo run-out    0
S. Ngoche b Gul    0
E. Otieno not out    0
Extras: (b-4, lb-3, w-3, nb-1)    11
Total: (all out, 33.1 overs)    112
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-43, 3-73, 4-79, 5-85, 6-87, 7-101, 8-112, 9-112.
Bowling: Shoaib Akhtar 5-1-10-0 (w-1), Abdul Razzaq 5-1-23-0, Umar Gul 4.1-0-12-2 (nb-1, w-1), Abdur Rehman 7-1-18-0, Shahid Afridi 8-3-16-5, Mohammad Hafeez 4-1-26-1 (w-1).
Result: Pakistan won by 205 runs.
Points: Pakistan 2, Kenya 0
Toss: Pakistan
Man-of-the-Match: Umar Akmal (Pakistan)