Collins Obuya
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Collins Omondi Obuya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 July 1981 Nairobi, Kenya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Leg break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | David Obuya (brother) Kennedy Otieno (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| ODI debut (cap 23) | 15 August 2001 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 30 January 2014 v Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 5) | 1 September 2007 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 23 March 2024 v Uganda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006/07 | Kenya Select | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 25 March 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Collins Omondi Obuya (born 27 July 1981) is a former Kenyan cricketer and captain of the Kenyan cricket team. An allrounder, Obuya bats right-handed and bowls leg spin. He came to prominence in the 2003 Cricket World Cup where he was one of Kenya's major performers as they reached the semi-finals.[1] Obuya has a highest first class score of 103.[2] He has been a prominent member of the Kenya cricket team with a career spanning more than two decades, since making his international debut in 2001. On 24 March 2024 he announced his retirement from international cricket.[3] His final game was the bronze medal match at the African Games in Accra, Ghana.[4]
His brothers Kennedy Otieno and David Obuya were also professional cricketers who also went on to represent Kenya at the international level. He was part of Kenya's first T20I team as well as Kenya's first T20 World Cup team.
Obuya used to sell tomatoes at his mother's market to make a living and earned most of his income that way before the 2003 World Cup.[5][6][7] He started his cricket career initially as a medium pacer but switched to spin bowling after watching the bowling action of former veteran Pakistani spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as a kid during the 1996 Cricket World Cup.[8] He also intended to become a doctor initially when he was quoted by the BBC Sport in 2003.[7]
Domestic career
His success in the competition persuaded Warwickshire to offer him a one-year contract to play county cricket in England in the 2003 season following his breathtaking performances at the 2003 World Cup.[9][10][11] The stint was overall an unsuccessful one, although he scored a 50 on his Championship debut and participated in half a dozen Twenty20 cricket games.[12] He made his T20 debut on 13 June 2003 against Somerset.[13]
His season with Warwickshire preceded a downhill drop in Obuya's career.[14] His county stint had not lasted long after he suffered a knee injury. He also suffered from appendicitis and thus missed the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy.[15] Soon after, he joined a players' strike and left England to go to South Africa. Due mainly to lack of match practice, Obuya began to struggle with his bowling, and in November 2005, he travelled to Australia to train with spin-bowling coach Terry Jenner.[16][17][18] The five-week trip was not successful, and as a result, Obuya decided to develop his batting so that he could play as a specialist batsman instead. He joined the Weymouth club in 2005 for the Dorset Premier Division and rejoined the Weymouth club in 2007.[19]
