Kenyans savour historic achievement

Hundreds of jubilant Kenyans took to the bars here after their side beat Bangladesh on Saturday and made World Cup history by advancing to the second round.

Normally, Kenyan sports fans care mostly about English football and little about cricket, but the success of Steve Tikolo's side is changing that.

"More than half the people watching it did not know anything about the game but the fact that we were watching Kenya made us feel proud; to see our country alongside the so-called greats," said Eliphas Nyamogo, who normally spends his weekends watching football.

Kenya's 32-run victory meant they were the first team from Group B to qualify for the Super Sixes and the first non-Test playing nation to reach that stage. The International Cricket Council's World Cup technical committee has rejected applications by Kenya and Sri Lanka to further penalise New Zealand.

The Kiwis refused to play in Nairobi due to safety concerns. Kenya were awarded four points, but they and Sri Lanka claim that New Zealand's decision cost the Kenyans a chance to improve their run rate, which could be crucial to the outcome of the group.