World Cup'11: Kiwis hand hapless Kenya 10-wicket mauling
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Chennai: New Zealand thrashed Kenya by 10 wickets in the World Cup on Sunday, making a mockery of the African nation's campaign to feature at the slimmed-down 2015 edition.
Fast bowler Hamish Bennett finished with 4-16, his best figures in nine one-day internationals, while Tim Southee and Jacob Oram took three wickets each to bowl out the minnows for just 69 off just 23.5 overs.
It was Kenya's lowest World Cup total and the fifth worst in tournament history.
Their capitulation came at the worst possible time for the sport's second-tier nations with the International Cricket Council determined to have a 10-nation World Cup, instead of the current 14 teams, in four years' time.
New Zealand openers Martin Guptill (39) and Brendon McCullum (26) raced to the target in merely eight overs to bring an early end to the day game played before near empty stands at the Chidambaram Stadium.
Guptill hit two sixes and five fours in his 32-ball knock. McCullum, batting in his favourite position, hit fours fours, three of them in what turned out to be the final over by Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande.
The decision to bat first backfired for Kenya as half of the side was cooling its heels in the pavilion by the 16th over.
New-ball bowler Southee started the rot by dismissing opener Alex Obanda in the seventh over before first-change Bennett got into the act by removing promising youngster Seren Waters (16) in his second over.
Bennett, a replacement for the more experienced but injured Kyle Mills, had Kenya in deep trouble when he sent back veteran Steve Tikolo (two) and Collins Obuya (14) off the second and fifth deliveries in his next over.
Tikolo lost his off-stump to a peach of a delivery and Obuya was struck plumb in front of the wicket, leaving Kenya in deep rut at 44-4.
Kenya asked for a review of Obuya's decision, only to be disappointed as replays showed the ball would have hit the middle stump.
Former captain Maurice Ouma became the fourth victim of the 23-year-old Bennett, trapped leg before for one.
Oram joined the bowlers' party, accounting for Kamande, Thomas Odoyo and Elijah Otieno in three overs.
Southee was on a hat-trick when he removed Nehemiah Odhiambo and Shem Ngoche with the last two balls of his sixth over.
But there was no second international hat-trick for him, with Otieno flicking Oram straight to midwicket shortly afterwards to end the misery for Kenya.
Kenya, semi-finalists of the 2003 edition, showed little application in their batting with just three batsmen managing to reach double figures.
They next take on Pakistan in Hambantota on on February 23 and New Zealand play Australia in Nagpur two days later.
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