DURBAN, South Africa, 19 March 2003 — World Cup shocks don’t come around very often but, when they do, the effect can be seismic. So India should beware when they face Kenya in tomorrow’s semifinal in Durban — especially since they’ve already had first hand experience.
They were on the receiving end of the first ever World Cup shock in 1979 when they faced Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester. Like Kenya now, Sri Lanka were then a non-Test playing nation but that didn’t prevent them from pulling off a stunning 47-run win.
Due to the infamous Manchester climate, the game took two days to complete but it must have seemed like a lifetime for India as the Lankans, inspired by Sidath Wettimuny’s 67, and man of the match Duleep Mendis’ 64, made 238-5. India reached 119-2 but then collapsed to 191 all out.
For their part, Kenya have already knocked over Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the 2003 tournament; they’ve been there, done that in the past as the West Indies found out to their cost in the 1996 tournament in India.
A disorganized and disunited Windies were ripe for the picking when they came up against the Africans in Pune on Feb. 29, 1996, having moped from venue to venue and having started their campaign in controversial circumstances by refusing to play in Colombo.
