Cricket Feature: Kenya, Africa's lost cricket superpower that once played a World Cup semi-final

Interestingly, this wasn't one of the first times a nation with associate status would go on to upset the big boys of world cricket. After all, fans of a certain age will doubtless remember how good Kenya was once upon a time. 

Kenya's story is both romantic and tragic. They made their World Cup debut in 1996 and stunned the West Indies in that tournament. 

Two years later, in a 1998 tri-series featuring Bangladesh, Kenya would go on to get one of their biggest-ever scalps when they defeated mighty India – and even contested the tournament's final. 

But perhaps their most significant glory moment came in 2003 when they, along with Zimbabwe and South Africa, co-hosted the World Cup. 

A mixture of good results, walkovers and a bit of luck meant that Kenya competed in the semi-finals of the World Cup; though they would lose out to eventual runners-up India, it was a massive statement of intent. 

Little did anyone know it would not be the start of their ascent but their finest moment as a team. 

Kenya played in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups but did not make any impression. Worse, there was rampant corruption and infighting between the game's custodians in the country. 

This would culminate with them losing their ODI status after finishing last in the super six rounds of ICC World Cup Qualifier 2014. Successive relegations followed, and they found themselves in the third division before long. 

However, they have yet to recover from that slump, and the memories of their exploits in their heyday paint a cautionary tale of what might have been. 

Amazingly, this wasn't their only significant contribution to the cricketing world. They also had a cricket league in Nairobi, which saw a lot of Indians turn up to play. 

It was, in many ways, the precursor to the modern IPL. And as former Kenya skipper Aasif Karim remembers, it was the best time in Kenyan cricket. 

"The league in Nairobi was very popular with the Indians. The weather in Nairobi is great in June-July when it is terribly hot in India," Karim told Sportstar in an interview, 

"It was a perfect pre-season for the cricketers before September. Indians had a huge role. But the Indian community is not that interested in cricket now, but the locals are keen." 

"Sadly, there is no structure. People who are running the game in Kenya are incompetent." 

That last line perhaps rankles most with fans who want to see cricket grow and develop in other nations. 

And it serves as a warning for teams like Namibia, who will be keen to ensure they don't make the same mistakes in the future.