Kenyan leg-spinner Collins Obuya does not need to sell tomatoes any more to fill his wallets, thanks to Shane Warne.
Obuya is enjoying a purple patch and is laughing his way to the bank after his team's dream run in the World Cup and his own contribution to the unprecedented success.
Obuya, till now used to earn $1,000 (Rs 49,000 approx) a year from cricket. The vast majority of his annual income came from selling tomatoes at his mother's market.
All that seems to have changed, for the better of course, after he got a few tips from the legendary Shane Warne.
Warne's tips on the flipper and wrong-un has resulted in Obuya taking 13 wickets in the World Cup so far to be seventh on the bowling list, same as Australian medium pacer Andy Bichel.
"In Nairobi I had a chat with Warne and he showed me some tips about how to bowl the flipper and the wrong-un," Obuya was quoted as saying on the World Cup's official web site.
"I am trying to bowl the flipper. It is not coming as well as Warne can do it but I am trying," the bowler said.
Obuya will face the sternest test when Kenya take on Australia tomorrow, although both teams have already made it to the semis.
"I am looking forward to playing Australia very much," he said. "If I can get three or four wickets I would be very happy."
Obuya added: "I know Australian batsmen are very aggressive and I'm looking forward to putting the ball in the right places. I hope to get wickets."
A good show against Australia will be certainly the cherry on the cake for Obuya, who also admitted money would not be as big a problem this year.
In fact, Obuya's cricketing income is all set to touch an all-time high. Kenya is guaranteed a $500,000 pay-out for making the semi-finals, with the majority of the booty to be shared among the 15 players who have reached greater heights than any of them thought possible.
The unexpected largesse was definitely not in the scheme of things for Obuya. "Yes," he said. "It is hard for me to believe."
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