Thomas Odoyo

Whenever there is a talk of all-rounders in Kenyan cricket, one name readily spring into mind, Thomas Odoyo.

Leapfrogging into the Kenyan WC team at a tender age of 17, Odoyo is one of the few Kenyans to have played in all the 5 World Cups that they have been a part of. Labeled as the 'Black Botham' by the Kenyan commentators, Odoyo is a powerful lower middle order batsman and a handy opening medium fast bowler.

In a 134 match ODI career, Odoyo has accumulated more then 2000 runs with the bat and picked up 141 wickets with the ball. The 2003 WC was the best moment for Kenya and Odoyo played a significant part in helping them reach there. Odoyo made 156 runs with the bat and picked up 9 wickets to help Kenya reach the semis.

Odoyo is also the first player to reach the double of 1500 runs and 100 wickets amongst the associate nations. His consistency helped him win the first ever ICC award for the best player amongst the associate nations in 2007. In 2008 Thomas Odoyo was selected as captain of The Northern Nomads franchise in Kenya's domestic cricket competition the Sahara Elite League. Odoyo has played domestic cricket in Zimbabwe and was also a part of the African XI in the Afro-Asia cup.

Odoyo, the then vice-captain of the Kenyan team, announced his retirement after the 2011 World Cup. However, he continued playing in domestic tournaments. In 2013, Kenya recalled Odoyo along with veteran Steve Tikolo for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates. The 36-year old had not featured in a T20 international since 2008. Unfortunately, Kenya did poorly in the qualifiers and finished 11th on the list, losing their chance to get into the main tournament.

By Cricbuzz staff

As of April 2014