England outclass Zimbabwe to take 3-0 lead
England duly completed their third straight victory in the one-day series at Harare Sports Club, outclassing a Zimbabwean team that never approached its real potential by 85 runs, with Graeme Hick Man of the Match again after a fine all-round performance.
It was a warm, sunny morning in Harare, somewhat unexpectedly after all the rain there has been in the country recently and also in view of the cyclone which is expected to bring more in a few days' time. The ground filled to about 90% during the day, which is now approaching ten thousand.
Andy Flower won the toss and decided to try batting second this time, putting England in. Bryan Strang replaced John Rennie in the Zimbabwe team,
while England retained the same eleven.
Strang struck quickly for Zimbabwe on his return to the one-day side. Hussain (1) played at a ball moving away just outside off stump and edged a low catch to Campbell at first slip; England 3 for one.
Hick received a warm reception from his former home crowd, and in Strang's next over drove him handsomely wide of mid-on for four. He had a narrow escape on 11, slashing a ball from Streak just over the head of slip to the boundary. He seemed determined to dominate, driving the next ball through extra cover. He got some thick edges as he went for his shots,
while Knight was finding it much more difficult to get going. Finally he opened his shoulders with a mistimed drive over mid-on for two off Strang,
and followed it with another airy shot for two over extra cover.
Hick hit Johnson for two fours in an over, a pull and a cover drive; he then mistimed an off-side slash which cleared cover. Olonga came on to bowl, to rapturous applause from the mainly white crowd. Hick hammered a short ball to the cover boundary, but then came another false shot, as a thick edge sailed between slip and gully for another four. A slower ball
also went through mid-off for four.
A false shot finally went to hand as Knight, slogging at a ball off Olonga that was too short to drive, hit a low catch straight to Strang at mid-on, to be out for 26, off 38 balls, with England 85 for two.
Hick reached his fifty with a sweep to fine leg for two off Grant Flower; it took him 50 balls. There was a quiet period until Hick began to open out again, driving Olonga through extra cover for four and then slashed him past cover for another. Brent came on to bowl, and Maddy played a handsome cut for four off the front foot.
Runs now came regularly, mainly in singles, both batsmen placing the ball well and scoring off almost every ball. Strang returned and slowed down the
scoring. He might have had Hick stumped on 78, but Andy Flower failed to gather a difficult leg-side take. Then Grant Flower dropped a hard return
catch low to his left from Maddy, on 26 at the time. But in the same over Hick's innings came to an end at 80, as he hesitated as Maddy called for a quick single to mid-off, and a fine pick-up and throw by Goodwin to the keeper caught him just short of his crease. England were now 149 for three.
Solanki, after settling in, began to open up and took toll of Strang's bowling, including a drive through extra cover for four. His onslaught was brief, though, as he skied a pull and was caught by Carlisle at mid-on, making England 171 for four in the 38th over.
Maddy ran to his first one-day fifty, but then tried a reverse-sweep against Viljoen and only succeeded in lobbing a catch off the top edge to Brent at backward point - out for 53. With his very next ball Ealham, who had done so well in the first two matches, tried to hit a straight ball through the off side and was bowled, making England 198 for six. Read dabbed the hat-trick ball into the slips. In the next over, from Brent, he pushed a ball into the covers to bring up the 200 for his team. Facing Viljoen again, he chipped back a return catch, out for 2, and making England 207 for seven and apparently losing their way.
Caddick improved the situation with some big hits, in between a few misses, including a six over Olonga's head. He finished with 21 not out and White 27 not out, as England reached 248 for seven.
Zimbabwe needed a major individual innings to challenge the England total; on past records Johnson was the most likely player to provide that, but rarely has he looked poorer at the start of an innings. The accuracy of the England bowling had much to do with this, as they gave nothing away. Campbell, however, was first to go, driving loosely at Gough and skying a
catch to White at mid-off. He made 2, and Zimbabwe were 5 for one.
The first boundary came when Carlisle ducked a bouncer from Gough, which hit him on the back and bounced over the keeper's head for four leg-byes. In the next over he almost ran himself out, calling for a single as Johnson cut a ball into the gully, but the fielder's shy at the stumps missed with him well out of his ground.
It took a misfield in the gully to bring the first boundary off the bat, from a cut by Johnson. Gough struck back with his next ball, however, bringing a ball back to bowl him for an uncomfortable 7 that took him 23 balls. Zimbabwe were 16 for two, and their bad start made victory now a virtual impossibility. Carlisle and Goodwin held the fort, but did not
appear to know where their next run was coming from.
The Zimbabwe run rate never looked threatening to England. Carlisle hit two successive boundaries off Mullally, to long leg and backward point, but then the crawl continued as the batsmen took no chances. Caddick took a rest after conceding only 7 runs off 8 overs.
The 50 came up in the 23rd over when Carlisle cut Ealham, on for White who changed ends, to the boundary, and later in the same over he nudged him
very fine for another. Runs began to come again more quickly now, and the rate exceeded three an over for the first time. A pity that seven an over
were needed for victory.
Hick came on to bowl for a rare spell with England, and Carlisle nudged him to fine leg for two. He picked up a wicket to end the over, though, as
Goodwin (38) off-drove him hard and high, only for Mullally to take the catch running round from long-off. Zimbabwe were now 82 for three in the 28th over.
Andy Flower was soon under way, running the ball neatly round the field for ones and twos. He was perhaps a bit too eager to get the score moving,
though, as he uncharacteristically missed a couple of sweeps, then called Carlisle for a quick single to midwicket. Knight's direct hit found Carlisle well out of his ground - out for 41, and Zimbabwe were 91 for four.
Grant Flower scored only 5, coming down the pitch to drive Hick, missing, and being stumped easily by Read. He was followed by Viljoen (4), who swept at Hick and skying a catch to Ealham, running round from mid-on, as the procession continued - 112 for six.
Andy Flower batted steadily but he is at present suffering both from flu and from his cracked thumb, sustained during the tour of South Africa. He had scored 21 when he came down the pitch to Hick and was stumped, in similar manner to his brother. Zimbabwe slid further towards a colourless defeat.
Streak (7) tried to turn Mullally across the line to leg, and his leading edge presented the easiest of catches to Hussain at short extra cover; Zimbabwe now 126 for eight.
Strang showed some fight, with 13 off 14 balls, including a six off Hick over cow-shot corner, but then swung Hick round to fine leg and was well caught by the diving Mullally, the score now being 146 for nine. This gave Hick his fifth wicket of the innings in his final over, a personal best for one-day internationals.
Henry Olonga, very much the crowd's favourite, hit some lusty blows along with Brent, giving the crowd something to cheer about. Brent pulled Mullally for four, while Olonga hit White superbly over his head for a one-bounce boundary, only next ball to miscue a stroke and pop up an easy catch to Knight at mid-on. He made 11 and Brent was not out with 13 after a
dding 17 in the only partnership to offer much pleasure to the long-suffering spectators.
