KWEKWE (Zimbabwe), Dec 11: Zimbabwe comfortably took a 1-0 lead in the three-match One-day International series against World Cup rivals Kenya at the Kwekwe Sports Club here Wednesday with one match to play.

This time the hosts pulled off the victory aided by fine innings from captain Alistair Campbell and Travis Friend, who put on a match-winning second wicket partnership of 146.

Zimbabwe, put into bat scored 273-4 and in reply the Kenyans were 181 for the loss of six wickets when umpires Aleem Dar of Pakistan and Ahmed Esat of Zimbabwe offered them the light with six overs left.

This gave them victory by 47 runs based on the Duckworth-Lewis calculation.

Campbell, searching for form after a bad spell, took his time amassing 71 in 122 balls. Friend, sent in as a pinch hitter after Mark Vermeulen went for eight and with 11 on the scoreboard, helped himself to a sparkling 91 in 81 balls, his highest in One-day Internationals.

Zimbabwe were slow off the mark, scoring only 42 in the first 15 overs — compared to Kenya’s 78-2 — but they accelerated towards the end of their allotted 50 overs, Andy Flower scoring an unbeaten 58 to take their average per over at the close to almost 5.5 from 2.7.

Kenya began well in response, Kennedy Obuya and Ravindu Shah linking up to score 55 before the first wicket fell. Shah was content to play safe while Obuya hit 54.

At the second tea break Kenya required 122 from 14 overs with six wickets down. It was asking too much of the lower order.