Lynn McConnell
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Only Test: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Wellington, 26-30 Dec 2000 Lynn McConnell |
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Zimbabwe 1st innings:
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Based on a superb defensive innings of 93 by opener Gavin Rennie, his best Test score, and fine support from Andy Flower, who scored his sixth Test half century in succession, when making 79, Zimbabwe made it just before stumps.
The day ended with Zimbabwe 288/5.
New Zealand's hopes had rested on spinning the Zimbabweans out, but in reality there was not enough spite in the pitch to make that possible. Both off-spinner Paul Wiseman, who sent down 48 overs, and Brooke Walker who bowled 22, could find no penetration.
While they generally bowled accurately enough, any turn they did get was slow enough to leave the batsmen untroubled.
Trevor Madondo did offer a sharp return chance to Wiseman when on 16 but he wasn't able to grasp it and Madondo was able to hit a four from Shayne O'Connor to carry the side past the follow on mark.
Douglas Marillier joined Madondo to share an unbroken 51-run partnership. Madondo scored 44 and Marillier 26.
Chris Martin was easily the most penetrative of the New Zealand bowlers taking 4-45 while Craig McMillan was the only other wicket-taker with 1-22. Wiseman had 0-106 from 48 overs and Walker 0-68 from 22 overs.
However, it had lost opener Gavin Rennie after a yeoman-like innnings of 93, his best score in Test cricket. He was caught, in similar fashion to Andy Flower playing at a ball which was moving across him toward the slips area.
As was the case in Flower's dismissal, the ball was dropping quickly and it took a fine diving catch by wicket-keeper Adam Parore to keep the chance alive.
Rennie's previous best score was 84 against India at Harare in 1998/99. He batted for 403 minutes and faced 323 balls.
After pace man Chris Martin claimed Flower's wicket, his fourth of the innings, skipper Stephen Fleming replaced him with Craig McMillan who revelled in the chance to try his own of belligerence.
Not using as much short-pitched bowling as has been his wont on previous occasions, he had reward when getting Rennie's wicket.
Zimbabwe was 237/5 with Trevor Madondo being joined by Douglas Marillier.
Bowling the third over with the new ball, Martin, who had already taken the first three wickets to fall, got the right line and when the ball took the edge of Flower's bat and flew towards first slip.
It was dropping on Stephen Fleming and highly unlikely that it would have carried to him but a superb dive by wicket-keeper Adam Parore picked the chance up when he had 79 runs.
That left Zimbabwe 194/4 and more vulnerable. They were able to get to tea without further loss at 207/4 with Gavin Rennie on 77 and Trevor Madondo on five.
Martin had bowled 22 overs and had 4-38.
Flower continued the outstanding form of the last few months and recorded his sixth successive score of 55 or more. He was on 71 at the drinks break as Zimbabwe reached 185/3.
Flower, who earlier passed 1000 runs in the calendar year, had scores of 65, 183 not out, 70, 55 and 232 not out to go alongside today's effort. Flower's 50 was score in 127 minutes off 91 balls and included three fours.
Rennie was similarly unmovable having advanced to 66 and having broken the fourth wicket record of 88 for Zimbabwe against New Zealand they had increased it to 119 by the break.
The left-hander has had an outstanding year and showed why with some lovely batting in his innings of 46 which helped Zimbabwe to 145/3 at lunch.
When he passed 34 in this innings, he became the second player to achieve 1000 runs in the calendar year for 2000. Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq was the first and he ended the year on 1090 runs in 12 Test matches.
Flower has taken only nine Tests and was helped significantly by his double century against India immediately before coming to New Zealand.
Providing fine support throughout the 135-minute session was Gavin Rennie, who recorded his sixth half century in Tests after 222 minutes and from 167 balls. Rennie was 53 not out at lunch.
The only wicket for New Zealand, who were trying to pick Zimbabwe off before they reached 288, was a controversial one, Alistair Campbell being given out leg before wicket to pace man Chris Martin when it seemed he had hit the ball when on 24.
Martin had taken all three wickets at a cost of 27 runs.
After losing the wicket of Alistair Campbell for 24 runs when he was out to a controversial leg before wicket decision made by Sri Lankan umpire BC Cooray.
Campbell was fooled by a faster ball from Chris Martin, it looked to catch him well in line but as Campbell walked away shaking his head in disbelief, television replays showed there was some bat on the shot.
Zimbabwe was 66/3 at the time. At the drinks break Zimbabwe was 93/3 with Gavin Rennie on 33 having survived a close run out call which needed television adjudication. Andy Flower was 16 not out.
Martin finished his second spell of the innings with 3-27 from 13 overs.
Play was scheduled to start at 11am, an hour earlier than usual after the rain and light delays yesterday, but eventually got underway at 11.45am. Play, if it suffers any delays will still continue until 7pm.
A minimum of 93 overs are to be bowled during the day as New Zealand attempts to pin the Zimbabweans down.
Play resumed with Zimbabwe 48/2 and New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming promising that New Zealand will bowl a lot of overs in order to increase the chances of taking the 18 remaining wickets.
In the third over of the morning, Alistair Campbell survived a close stumping chance from off-spinner Paul Wiseman's bowling.
Campbell was out of his crease when wicket-keeper Adam Parore took the ball but as he was standing a little back from the wickets he had to stretch further than usual to take the bails off and in that time television replays confirmed that Campbell had slipped his foot fractionally back over the crease.
The score at that stage was 60/0.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 29 Dec2000 - 18:24