Hick guides England to five wicket victory
On a cloudy day in Bulawayo, England won their first
victory in Zimbabwe by five wickets, although it was a
tight struggle until the final ten overs. Their hero was the Zimbabwean deserter Graeme Hick, whose dismal
record against his homeland came to an end with a
match-winning 87 not out.
Wednesday morning in Bulawayo was partly cloudy,
with a possibility of rain, and the outfield heavy from
what had already fallen. The pitch itself was hard and
dry, if slow, and, in the opinion of former national
captain Andy Pycroft, now convenor of selectors and a
television commentator, a good one-day pitch.
The loss of key all-rounder Guy Whittall, suffering
from knee trouble, upset the balance of the Zimbabwe
team, but they opted to strengthen their batting, with
Heath Streak down at number nine. Bowlers Pommie
Mbangwa and John Rennie were the players omitted,
while England left out Mark Alleyne, Ashley Giles and
Gavin Hamilton.
Andy Flower won the toss and decided to bat. Alistair Campbell was down to open with Neil Johnson, Grant Flower dropping down the order in a bid to recover his form, and Stuart Carlisle being elevated to number three.
Good bowling by England kept the Zimbabwe openers on the defensive for a while, but then Johnson clipped a ball from Gough with superb timing past point for the first boundary of the day, then immediately drove
him off the front for another four in the same place.
Gough, apparently distracted now, followed up with two
successive wides, one down leg and one down off.
Campbell lashed an overpitched ball from Gough to the cover boundary so powerfully that the fielders had no time to move. Gough continued to prove expensive,
giving the batsmen width outside off stump, and by the
end of the over was looking almost in despair. Another
front-foot straight drive from Campbell this time beat
Ealham on its way to the boundary.
The erratic Gough was replaced by Mullally, who was immediately driven by Johnson to his favourite
extra-cover boundary. The bowler responded, though,
with a fine delivery that moved away slightly and beat
Johnson all ends up and hit his off stump. He made 21
off 24 balls, and Zimbabwe were 43 for one.
Carlisle got his innings under way by clipping
Caddick neatly backward of point for four, which also
brought up the fifty. He looked a better batsman at
number three rather than seven, and hit Ealham for two
fours in an over, but struggled against Mullally, the
bowler who had caused him so much trouble in the
World Cup match at Trent Bridge last year. White came
on from the north end and Carlisle drove his first ball at waist-height directly to Hussain at short extra cover, to be out for 30, scored off 50 balls. Zimbabwe were 83 for two as Goodwin joined Campbell, still struggling for runs.
Goodwin's stay was brief, as he scored just 2 runs off
11 balls before he moved across to a ball from White
that moved back in and beat him, winning an lbw
decision from umpire Graeme Evans. Campbell, unable
to get the score moving again, drove a ball from Ealham
to mid-on and calling for a quick single, only to be
beaten by a brilliant pick-up and throw by White. He
scored 29 off 69 balls, and Zimbabwe were 93 for four,
with the initiative swinging to England.
The Flower brothers dug in and consolidated, until
Andy stepped down the pitch and lofted Ealham over his
head for four, bringing up the hundred for Zimbabwe.
Then they reverted to their old tricks, developed in the days when they used to open the batting together, of stealing quick singles. But, with 15 overs left,
Zimbabwe's scoring rate was little over three an over -
not as bad as it sounds on a heavy outfield but still well short of requirements.
Mullally returned from the north end and quickly
picked up the vital wicket of Andy Flower just as he was getting into his stride. Flower pulled him firmly off the front foot but straight to Knight at short midwicket just above ankle height, to be out for 19, off 49 balls, leaving Zimbabwe struggling at 124 for five.
Grant Flower nearly followed, as he flicked a ball
from Mullally just over Knight's head at midwicket. Even as the ball was on its way to the boundary, rain started to fall. It quickly became a sharp downpour, and the players had to leave the field with Zimbabwe on 133 for five in the 40th over.
The rain shower was short and sharp, and only 20
minutes play was lost before the players reappeared.
With the match starting 15 minutes late, the match was
reduced to 48 overs per side.
Grant Flower soon showed his desire to crack on
with the scoring, but his current poor form did not allow him much success. Then at last he got hold of Mullally and pulled him high over midwicket into the crowd. Then Wishart, slogging across the line, got an inside edge to be caught low down by the keeper for 6, off 11 balls. Zimbabwe were 160 for six.
Flower and Streak hit out gamely, looking for ones
and twos rather than boundaries but being frustrated at
times by tight England fielding. In the penultimate over Flower cut Gough behind square for four and then took a single to reach what has for him this season been a rare fifty. The final over was bowled by White, and the batsmen ran well, but Streak, hitting out, got a leading edge to sky the ball behind extra cover, where Hussain took a good running catch. He scored 16 off 14 balls, and Zimbabwe were 192 for seven with one ball to go. Flower hit a two, and under the Duckworth-Lewis regulations England needed 199 to win. On a slow outfield this was likely to be a little more difficult than it sounded.
Zimbabwe did not begin their assault on the English
batsmen promisingly, starting with a spate of wides from Olonga and Johnson. Openers Knight and Hussain did not really have to do much except watch the wides go by and score off those of lesser width, but Hussain
seemed to lose patience after scoring 3 off 16 balls.
Slashing with a diagonal bat at a ball from Olonga a
couple of feet outside his off stump, he dragged the ball
on to his stumps, leaving England 13 for one.
The first boundary came in the eighth over, as Knight
cut Johnson to the third-man boundary. When Olonga
bowled a ball slightly short of a length just outside off stump, Knight hit him over mid-off for six. But he fell soon afterwards, playing on like Hussain; he tried to dab a ball from Streak to third man and the ball came off the inside edge to hit the off stump. He made 20, and England were 37 for two.
Hick played his first stroke of real substance,
hammering Olonga through the covers for a powerful
four. Generally, though, he and Maddy were happy to
keep ones and twos ticking over against bowlers who
tended to stray too much towards leg side. Maddy
began to find his touch, especially when working away
leg-side deliveries, but was tempted into the sweep off
Grant Flower, got a top edge and lobbed an easy catch
directly at Streak at short fine leg. He made 24 off 40 balls, and England were 90 for three.
Solanki lived dangerously, lobbing a ball from Brent
just short of mid-on, and then seeing Grant Flower drop
a high return catch, which could have proved to be
crucial. However, when on 11, he backed away to try to
force Flower through the covers, and found the ball
hurrying on to bowl him. England were now 107 for
four. The situation was soon to worsen as White, before he had scored, swept uppishly at Flower and Olonga, sprinting in from long leg, took a brilliant low catch, and the match was right in the balance at 109 for five.
An on-off drizzle began, but the players stayed out,
with England struggling to consolidate their innings.
Then Hick struck Viljoen high and straight for four, and then swung him for six into the trees beyond midwicket.
A quick two later in the over brought him his first fifty against Zimbabwe. Between overs he carefully studied a chart he had brought out with him showing how many were needed to be ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis
system. He later said that this was actually a positive aid to renewing their incentive and helping them to pick up their run rate.
Had Zimbabwe placed a slip, they should have
dismissed Hick on 59, as he snicked Olonga straight
through that position to the boundary. Then Ealham,
sweeping at Grant Flower, popped a top edge just over
the head of Andy, and it seemed as if luck and the
match were beginning to slip from Zimbabwe. Runs
continued to come steadily, although the light was poor, and Hick was seeing the ball well enough to pull Streak powerfully for four.
He virtually sealed the match for England with a
straight six off a half-volley from Streak in the 46th over. England needed nine to win off the last two overs, but saw no need to hurry. Olonga came on as Zimbabwe made a final desperate attempt to save the match, but Hick finished the match with a six over long-on. He faced 108 balls in his unbeaten 87, hitting four fours and two sixes, and England had won in Zimbabwe for the first time.
