Shadow of a doubt

It remains to be seen whether Kenyan cricketer Maurice Odumbe will go down in history as the man who spearheaded some of his country's greatest, most unexpected triumphs, or just another player who succumbed to greed and the lure of bookmaker's money.

Born in Nairobi - one of the few areas in Kenya where the sport is played at all - on June 15, 1969, Odumbe has been there for all his country's finest moments on the cricket field - their sensational victory against the West Indies in the 1996 World Cup, wins over India in Gwalior and Port Elizabeth, and their miraculous advance to the semi-finals in the last World Cup.

But these honourable exploits could all be scrubbed off the record if Odumbe's reputation as someone who truly plays for the love of the game is shattered by the International Cricket Council's allegations that he has had improper contact with bookmakers from which he has benefited financially.

A charming character, there have been various explanations for Odumbe's latest, and most serious, brush with the law. Considered something of a ladies' man, one respected Kenyan newspaper - The East African Standard - has speculated that the all-rounder has come under the beady eye of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit due to the vengeful efforts of two women - his estranged wife and a former girlfriend. And there is the Kenyan Cricket Association official with whom Odumbe allegedly almost came to blows in last year's World Cup in South Africa.

Odumbe has been seen on several occasions recently quaffing a few scotches with the rest of Nairobi high society in Gypsies, perhaps the trendiest nightspot in the capital, as befits the man who was Man of the Match in that famous World Cup victory over the West Indians in Pune and who averaged 42 with the bat and took nine wickets with his offspin as Kenya upstaged several Test nations to reach the semifinals of the last World Cup. Which would suggest that if he is guilty of corruption, he is making a very good effort of putting forward an unconcerned, innocent face in public.

Odumbe has, however, retained the services of Nairobi's top criminal lawyer, Ishan Kapila, for his trial, which will get underway on July 27. People accused of murder all get the best lawyer they can as well, even if they know they are innocent, so this may not be any reflection of the former Kenyan captain's guilt.

Odumbe has never been afraid to speak his mind, as West Indian legend Brian Lara will attest. The Kenyan, looking for an autograph, was snubbed by a young Lara in England several years before the 1996 World Cup, so he took the opportunity after the shock victory in Pune, to go up to the great left-hander and say: "A few years ago you would not give me your autograph. But now I am saying you can have my autograph."

Odumbe's petulance reached its peak in 2001 when he took on straight-shooting South African umpire Dave Orchard and was punished with a two-match ban. Perhaps it was the Kimberley air, but Odumbe told the press that Orchard had been unfriendly and uncooperative in their match against South Africa in a triangular series with India.

Justice Ahmed Ebrahim was the ICC match referee then and he immediately banned Odumbe for two games. Ironically, it is Ebrahim who will now adjudicate on the charges of corruption against one of Kenya's sporting giants.

This article was first published in the June 2004 issue of Wisden Asia Cricket. Click here to subscribe to Wisden Asia Cricket.