Zimbabweans (164/7) beat MCC (142) by 22 runs.
As expected, the MCC found it hard going, even though the sun began to come out as they started their innings. Zimbabwe's bowlers, though, were just as generous with the extras as their MCC counterparts.
Anthony McGrath hit a fine cover drive for four off Johnson, but Mark Roseberry (2) found the thick edge to give a catch to Goodwin at backward point, and MCC were 16 for one. It was several overs later when McGrath found the right ball to do it again, and again it was followed by a wicket at the other end, Streak bringing a ball back to trap Matthew Wood lbw for 1; MCC 22 for two.
Ward struggled to get off the mark before driving Johnson thunderously to the extra-cover boundary. He stayed on that score for 39 minutes with some frustration before suddenly opening his shoulders and driving Brent high over mid-off for four. McGrath was scarcely more fluent, and despite the extras the scoring rate was little over two an over. Ward crawled into double figures and then celebrated with a huge six over the sightscreen off Viljoen. But strokeplay was scarcely possible on this pitch, and in attempting another big hit he skyed a high swirling catch to extra cover, where it was taken with no trouble at all by Carlisle. He made 12; MCC 67 for three.
De Bruyn got off the mark by off-driving Brent for four over mid-off. The scoring rate required was now over five an over, a very tall order in these conditions, and the batsmen worked hard to keep the board moving, hindered by some outstanding ground fielding. McGrath had done well to restrain himself and keep the score ticking over for a long time, but he finally lost patience, swung at a full-length ball from Mluleki Nkala and was bowled for 46; MCC 97 for four.
Jonathan Wileman attempted some big hits as the scoring rate required reached seven an over, and got away with a couple of skyers into vacant spots on the off side, but then played over a ball from Grant Flower to be bowled for 5; MCC 106 for five. De Bruyn hit a rare four, a top-edged slash off Nkala that cleared the vacant slip position; trying it again, he edged to the keeper for 24; 110 for six.
Brown was aggressive from the start, hitting Nkala to the sightscreen almost for six, but at the other end was bowled swinging over a yorker from Grant Flower for 5; 115 for seven, and more than eight an over required, the match as good as lost. Keith Dutch gallantly swung at everything, snicking Streak for four down the leg side, while Darren Berry drove him straight for another boundary and then swung Nkala over midwicket for four.
Dutch (12) was run out when Berry hit a ball straight back down the pitch, Streak calmly turning and throwing down the stumps with Dutch backing up too far; 138 for eight, Dodemaide (1) was also run out in the same over; he stopped a ball almost on the crease, the batsmen decided on a quick single but such was the speed of Streak down the pitch they gave up almost (but not quite) before they had started.
In the next and final over Berry (13) swung Nkala straight into the hands of Viljoen at long-on and MCC were all out for 142, giving Zimbabwe victory by 22 runs. Nkala took three wickets for 28 runs.
ZIMBABWEANS 164/7 (46 OVERS) V MCC
On an overcast morning, but with the sun trying to break through, MCC, under the captaincy of former Surrey batsman David Ward, put the Zimbabwean tourists in to bat.
Castleford is a typically attractive club ground to the east of Leeds, with the pavilion on the north side, a row of middle-aged houses on the east, a new line of trees to the south and other sporting facilities behind trees and hedges to the west. The ground itself is excellently maintained, and the pitch looked in good condition, although slightly damp to start with. Only the scoreboard seemed completely out of its depth.
Yorkshire have played on this ground once, a NatWest match (then for the Gillette Cup) against Cambridgeshire that was reduced to a ten-over slog due to extremely wet conditions.
David Pryke of Natal opened the bowling with a most peculiar, almost wrong-footed action that nonplussed Neil Johnson into playing out a maiden over. When Grant Flower faced, with a single to his credit, he was so taken aback that he shouldered arms to his first ball, to be hit on the pad and given out lbw. Murray Goodwin worked him out to the extent of taking a single off the third ball he faced, and Neil Johnson finally got off the mark with a flick to the square-leg boundary, but still looked uncertain as to when the ball was going to arrive. When he finally got to the other end, he drove Douggie Brown through extra cover for a trademark four.
Goodwin never looked settled and was eventually given out somewhat surprisingly lbw to Brown for 2; Zimbabwe 27 for two in the tenth over.
They were certainly finding it difficult to time the ball on the damp pitch. Alistair Campbell finally turned Brown to leg for his first run in three innings, while Johnson pulled a three. Campbell had a long overdue slice of luck when he pulled a ball directly at short midwicket, but the catch went down. As South African Zander de Bruyn replaced Prkye, a drizzle started, sending everybody scurrying for cover with the score at 42 for two (Johnson 18, Campbell 3).
A total of 47 minutes was lost and the innings reduced to 46 overs per side. Zimbabwe recommenced slowly until Johnson off-drove de Bruyn powerfully for four over the heavy outfield. He enjoyed a life when second slip put down a catch off Tony Dodemaide, and responded by lashing three boundaries through the covers in the next two overs from the former Australian.
Campbell's luck came to an end at 7, as he glanced uppishly to leg off the erratic de Bruyn and was brilliant caught by the diving keeper, former Victorian Darren Berry; Zimbabwe 71 for three.
Andy Flower (9) played coolly, although frustrated by a slow outfield and some brilliant stops in the covers, before being bowled by a fine yorker from Dodemaide; Zimbabwe 86 for four. Johnson and Stuart Carlisle then struggled to keep the score moving, although de Bruyn did his best to help with a regular supply of wides and the occasional no-ball, severely taxing the stamina of umpire Graham Burgess.
Johnson grew frustrated and eventually on 40 drove a straight-forward catch to Ward at extra cover; Zimbabwe 105 for five. At the same score Guy Whittall, just in, slashed at Dodemaide and was also caught by Ward, this time at second slip.
Progress was still painful, and the batsmen should have made more effort to work the ball around the field for ones and twos, as boundaries were so rare as the outfield seemed to get slower, if anything, and MCC made astute use of sweepers three-quarters of the way to the boundary to prevent twos.
At last Carlisle and Dirk Viljoen began to get the singles flowing, but it was scarcely typical one-day fare. They added 39 before Brown moved a ball in sharply to trap Carlisle lbw for 28.
Viljoen and Heath Streak ran superbly between wickets in the dying overs, and in the final over Viljoen even managed a lofted drive over the bowler's head. Trying to repeat it next ball, he skyed it about twenty yards out to mid-on, which remarkably no fielder was able to reach!
Viljoen finished unbeaten on 25, Streak on 5, and Extras was unchallenged as top scorer with 47, including 23 wides. If the Zimbabweans bowl accurately, the target of 165 in 46 overs may not be all that easy for MCC in the prevailing conditions.
