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Test # 1495 Result: England won by 6 wickets Close of Play: Day 1: Zimbabwe 182-8 wkts (Whittall 20*; 78 overs) ENGLAND WIN WITH A DAY TO SPARE! Zimbabwe Struggle Under The Rains! Rain and bad light combined to delay play under a grey and gloomy Lord’s in London. However, by 11:24am the elements relented and Darren Gough opened the bowling to Grant Flower. Seven balls and five minutes later, he was on his way back to the pavilion with a duck by his name on the scoreboard after losing his off-stump to the first ball he received from Andy Caddick. The ball had left him playing down the wrong line and he was comprehensively bowled (7-1 wkt). Murray Goodwin joined Gripper in the centre, and was forced to survive a loud LBW appeal from Gough when only 4 runs next to his name. South African Umpire Orchard looked long and hard but gave the Zimbabwe number three the benefit of the doubt. The two managed to see the opening session out, which again was cut short by rain at 12:20pm. Lunch was taken early (26-1wkt), but play still did not resume until 1:52pm. The second wicket partnership flourished regardless, and reached 50 just after 2:20pm. However, with the score on 64, Goodwin edged a Giddins lifter and gave a straightforward chance to Stewart and the stand was broken (64-2 wkts). Gripper continued doggedly on his way and finally reached his half-century off 93 balls. He eventually succumbed to the debutante Schofield, pulling a short delivery into the hands of Caddick in the deep for a resilient 54. Shortly after the players paraded off beneath the rain, an early Tea was called. Just before four o’clock Campbell shuffled across his crease into a Gough yorker and was out leg-before first ball after the resumption (80-4 wkts). Left-hander Neil Johnson now joined his captain, who was yet to score, in the middle. The duo batted on until another stoppage without too much concern . Bad light forced the halt at around 5:00pm – for another 15-minute interlude. Andy Flower’s only scare was another genuine LBW appeal from Gough. Otherwise the Zimbabwe ship seemed to be steadied. Ed Giddins was the partnership breaker when he tempted Flower forwards into a mistimed a cover-drive and edged to a diving Stewart. The fifth wicket had produced 47 runs (127-5 wkts). The captain had looked set for a big innings and this proved a major blow for him and his team. Fifteen runs later and Giddins had Johnson snaffled up by Hussain at short square-leg chasing a wide delivery outside his off-stump for 32. Heath Streak did not stand on ceremony and soon put willow through leather, scoring his 12 at virtually a run a ball until he followed Johnson in a virtual identical replay … caught Hussain bowled Giddins off another wide delivery (162-7 wkts). Guy Whittall (9*) could only watch somewhat forlornly at his demise. Strang lost one of his batting ‘lives’ when Ramprakash failed to hold on at point to a chance off Schofield before scoring. It was to matter little; Gough trapped him with the last ball of the first day for 7. Zimbabwe 182-8 wkts at a bleak wind-swept Lord’s. England Gain First Innings Lead. Just! Lord’s on the second day was resplendent beneath the sun which peered through flecks of cloud. With the new ball due, the mopping-up operation began. Murphy, was caught by Knight wide at slip, without troubling the scorers; and Mbangwa could only last four balls before he fell also to Caddick for a duck, LBW and quite adjacent. Whittall remained unbeaten and stranded on 23 not out after a patient innings hit off 93 balls. Zimbabwe 186 all out. With the weather now favouring the home side all set fair for England. Unfortunately Streak and Mbangwa had other ideas dispatching both openers within the first three overs, both being caught edging to Andy Flower (7-2 wkts). Hussain and Hick now resolved to ‘put the game to rights’. By lunch they had moved the score on to a chanceless 79-2 wkts, and looked well in command. The only blip on the horizon was that the sun had exited the stage and Lord’s again had become overcast. As did the England when he tickled a Strang straight ball to the ‘keeper and was dismissed for 47 (97-3wkts). Hick and Stewart scored 20 runs before the Worcestershire man returned a catch to the bowler just short of his fifty (117-4 wkts). Rain appeared and the players disappeared for a short break midway through the afternoon. On the restart, Whittall saw Stewart (22) hit a full-blooded hook to Mbangwa in the deep – Poomie held a good catch; and so after Stewart’s and Knight’s 35 had been added the scorecard read England 152-5 wkts. Knight proceeded to increase the tempo, and by Tea the pair had pushed the score on to had moved to 176-5 wkts. The sun was again making a valiant attempt to clear the sky as England tried to overcome the African’s modest first innings score. The 50 partnership came and went with Knight taking the senior role – he scored his 50 off 115 balls (5x4s) when the score was standing at 207. Johnson in his first over of a new spell conjured up the wicket when he had the Lancashire all-rounder glove another catch to the other man with the gloves, Andy Flower -- his fourth of the innings, and Flintoff was gone for 20, (214-6 wkts). It should have been 214-7 wkts, because Johnson let an elementary caught and bowled escape him from Schofield. Revenge was to follow when he trapped the newcomer LBW for 6, some 16 runs later. The right-armer, Johnson was enjoying a good spell, and had a vehement appeal for Caddick turned down by Peter Willey soon after this, before the end of his stint. England survived to Stumps and were 255-7 wkts (Knight 80*, Caddick 13*). With a 69 run lead in the credit column, they were edging away from their opponents. Zimbabwe On A Loser! Day three saw the weather as bleak as the first day. Without further score, Knight was all asunder to a Heath Streak inswinger that kept lower than expected, and was plumb leg-before with only the third ball of the day. Caddick followed with a defensive push that ballooned to Guy Whittall of Mbangwa, also without adding to his overnight score. Gough and Giddins huffed and puffed for eleven more before Giddins gave Whittall his second catch in as many wickets off Mbangwa. 266 all out, a lead of 80 runs. A lead that could prove to be vital in the long term. What was now vital, however, was England’s attack on a pitch were the ball was occasionally starting to keep low. The weather was also a factor … England now had the game in their grasp if they could dismiss Zimbabwe reasonably cheaply … all to play for entering the last half of the match. Trevor Gripper was unable to match his first innings heroics, Hussain at slip and Gough saw to that (12-1 wkt) and was out cheaply after ten dour overs. Goodwin survived a mere four balls before edging Gough to Hick at slip (13-2 wkts). Lunch was reached with Zimbabwe 30-2 wkts. The weather had picked up again, though the pitch was starting to show a little wear and tear, the outfield was plenty quick enough. Andy Caddick plugged on regardless, and was duly rewarded with Campbell’s scalp who became a regulation catch for Alec Stewart, (37-3 wkts). Andy Flower joined Grant at the crease, but his stay when he fell to Giddins LBW, playing and missing (44-4 wkts). Zimbabwe were now deep in trouble. Grant Flower and Neil Johnson batted on with the only incident coming when the opener was spooned by Ramprakash at short-leg when he was 42 off Schofield. Again it was not to prove a fatal miss for Schofield … his arm ball found the edge of Flower’s blade and Stewart behind the stumps (96-5 wkts). Tea: Zimbabwe 123-5 wkts, now looking for a miracle. It was hot and sunny as Johnson and Whittall returned to the action. Nevertheless, the unfortunate Johnson wafted at Schofield and top-edged to the vulture-like Stewart without further score. Whittall followed was beaten completely by the Schofield wrong-un and said goodbye ten runs later. Caddick with two and Giddins tidied up the affair with the last three wickets for twenty runs just before 5:00pm – the last five batsmen had given way for a paltry 32 runs. Zimbabwe 155 all out. England needed 76 runs to win. The openers scored 43 before Ramprakash (15) was bowled ‘neck and crop’ by Strang flashing wildly. Atherton (29) placed a fine drive into the hands of Whittall at mid-off again from the bowling of Strang just before Stumps. Giddins was sent out to face the last two balls of the day, and join the other night watchman Gough. England 52-2 wkts. The Last Rites! The fourth and final day saw Streak miss a caught and bowled chance of a tentative Gough of the third ball … he survived only another two balls before Campbell pocketed him at square-leg without further ado. The rains allowed only one more over before sending the teams scurrying for cover for a 45-minute rest bite before the final curtain was drawn. Giddins was LBW to Streak first ball on the resumption. Graeme Hick joined the captain Hussain and the combination saw off both Streak and Mbangwa’s best efforts for the final 23 runs, with the skipper having the honour of hitting the winning run at 12:33pm on the fourth day. England had eased home to victory inside four days for an emphatic win to go one-up in the two Test series. © llamados 2000 |
Revised:
Saturday, 16 March 2013. |
