Ravi Shah

A stylish right-handed opener, Ravi Shah made his debut for Kenya in 1998 and very soon was being talked about as a batsman of genuine class. He cemented his reputation during Kenya's triumphant 2003 World Cup when he scored fifties against South Africa and Canada in the group stages, and chipped in handy scores of 34 against India in the Super Six, and 46 against India in the semi-final. Those performances led some to tag him as the best batsman outside Test cricket but the opportunity to prove that disappeared as Kenya were cast into the international wilderness by fractious infighting with the board. Although he played in the 2004 Champions Trophy he was then sidelined by a serious knee injury, and his return appeared increasingly unlikely as business interests grew. However, he returned in a spectacular manner at the start of 2007, scoring 54, 113 (his maiden ODI hundred) and 48 in his first three ODIs back before finding things harder during the World Cricket League where he was something of a disappointment. He has every shot in the book, but, like so many good players, he is vulnerable in his first three or four overs at the crease. This was no better demonstrated than in the World Cup when he struck a classy 71, but just 10 more in the other two matches. Away from cricket, he runs two successful businesses in Kenya.
Martin Williamson February 2007