Maurice Odumbe was one of Kenya's genuinely international-class players, an allrounder who could hold his own in the side as either an aggressive middle-order batsman or naggingly accurate offspinner. Ever since he made his debut for Kenya in 1990 he was an automatic choice - he won the Man of the Match award in their sensational victory over West Indies during the 1996 World Cup for his 3 for 14 in his first senior tournament - but his career hit a brick wall when he was slapped with a five-year ban after being found guilty of associating with a known bookmaker.

In 2003 he was instrumental in Kenya reaching the World Cup semi-finals, averaging 42 with the bat and taking nine wickets. When Kenya took part in the Caribbean's Carib Beer Series in 2003-04 he again excelled with bat and ball, hammering a career-best 207 against the Leeward Islands. But then came an ICC investigation and in August 2004 he was thrown out of the game.
Martin Williamson September 2009