Kenyan all-rounder Collins Obuya calls time on quarter-century career

Collins Obuya, a long-serving all-rounder of Kenya announced his retirement, marking the end of his approximately quarter-century career. He bid farewell after Kenya's final game at the African Games, where his side was outplayed by Uganda in the bronze medal match held at Accra.

Notably, Obuya's final innings ended abruptly, as he was bowled for a duck by Cosmas Kyewuta in the first over of the match. However, he has accumulated three consecutive half-centuries overall in the tournament. The 42-year-old raised his bat in farewell after his last innings, eventually, he was warmly embraced by the Ugandan team. Subsequently, both Uganda and Kenya players gave a guard of honour to him.

His journey with the national side began over 25 years ago when he first donned the Kenyan shirt at the 1998 U19 World Cup. Notably, he made his debut for the senior team two years later in a First-Class match against a touring Pakistan A team.  

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Obuya, who played alongside his elder brothers David and Kennedy as well as Steve Tikolo, Thomas Odoyo, and Maurice Odumbe, was a key figure of the Kenya team that reached the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup. As a specialist leg spinner, he claimed a fifer for 24 against Sri Lanka at Nairobi, which included the wickets of legendary batters Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Aravinda de Silva. In addition, his spell against Sri Lanka marks his best figures in ODIs.

His outstanding performances helped him earn a historic county contract from Warwickshire and thus, become the first Kenyan international to accomplish this milestone. Unfortunately, he struggled upon reaching England, eventually, Warwickshire released him after a single season as he failed to excel with his bowling. Following this, he faced many challenges including injuries and illnesses but successfully made a comeback to the national team as a batting all-rounder. 

The 42-year-old's noteworthy performance with the bat transpired during the 2011 Cricket World Cup when he struck an unbeaten 98 against a formidable Australian bowling attack with the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait, and Brett Lee. Amidst Kenya's dismal performance in the tournament, his remarkable innings stood out. However, Kenyan cricket's status dwindled when Obuya assumed the captaincy from Jimmy Kamande after the 2011 World Cup, as it was Kenya's last appearance on the international stage.

Under his leadership, Kenya competed in the 2011-13 World Cricket League Championship. Despite his efforts with the ball, Kenya slipped down the rankings, overshadowed by teams like Ireland and Afghanistan. In addition, Kenya had a disastrous campaign in the T20 Qualifier in 2012 as they were eliminated at the group stage. Following this setback, he handed over the T20 captaincy to Rakep Patel and ODI leadership before the 2014 World Cup Qualifier.

Moreover, the 2014 World Cup Qualifier marked the end of an era for Kenya as they lost their "permanent" ODI status granted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1997. This marked the end of Obuya's ODI career, where he scored 2044 runs and picked up 35 wickets in 104 games in a career that spanned 12 years. He continued to represent the national side and made over 300 international caps before retiring from the game.