Thomas Odoyo

Thomas Odoyo

Thomas Odoyo Migai (born May 12, 1978 in Nairobi) is a Kenyan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed medium-fast bowler. Odoyo went to city primary school Then City High School, Nairobi. He was a ball boy at Gymkhana as a kid but once they let him play he never stopped amazing the officials and eventually fans. He played a great role in making cricket popular in Kenya.

Having represented Kenya in the 1996 World Cup, Odoyo's performances have since been critical to the team. His powerful batting throughout the middle-order and his seam bowling has led to Kenyan commentators labelling him the "Black Botham". Odoyo has since formed a bowling partnership with Martin Suji, and in 1997-98 set a then-world record One Day International seventh-wicket stand of 119 with Suji's brother Tony.

He is the first and only Kenyan bowler thus far to achieve the double of 50 wickets and 1000 runs and the only to have reached 100 wickets. Though injury forced him out of the Carib Beer Cup in 2003-04, he played once again for the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy

Thomas Odoyo performed well in Kenya's tour of Zimbabwe in 2006. He scored a few runs and took 8 wickets in 4 matches as Kenya drew the series with Zimbabwe at 2-2. In 2008 Thomas Odoyo was selected as captain of The Northern Nomads franchise in Kenya's domestic cricket competition the Sahara Elite League