5TH MATCH -- ZIMBABWE v INDIA

This, another rain-ruined match, saw Zimbabwe in the pound seats, only to fall foul of the regulations regarding rain-ruined matches. The conditions were again very wet and the outfield soaked, although the pitch remained good for batting, and from the start the match was restricted to 32 overs per side. The ground was fairly small, though larger than the other minor ground in New Zealand where Zimbabwe played, and so was the crowd, as people were expecting the game to be called off.

Play finally got under way after lunch. The outfield was still wet, but it was playable and still quick. India batted on winning the toss, probably in view of the regulations favouring the side batting first if rain interfered, and were proved right. Sachin Tendulkar played a superb innings, despite fine bowling from Mark Burmester, who eventually dismissed him, caught at mid-off driving. His partnership with Sanjay Manjrekar added 99 runs in 57 minutes at about a run a ball. Most of the other Indian batsmen failed, however, and on this pitch the Zimbabweans were well satisfied to restrict them to 203 in 32 overs, especially as the wet, slippery outfield made fielding difficult.

Burmester's fine bowling was despite his new set of boots, which he had just bought. He consulted coach Don Topley, who told him they were good boots, but his team-mates disagreed, thinking the studs were not long enough. Burmester bought them anyway and wore them to this match. He was fielding at third man early in the Indian innings, when Kris Srikkanth edged Eddo Brandes between slip and gully towards Burmester. As he bent to pick up the ball, he fell flat on his backside and the ball went for four. Many of the fielders were convulsed with laughter, but Brandes was not amused! He recovered his old boots before he began his bowling spell.

Zimbabwe batted magnificently in reply, and were soon well on course for victory in 32 overs. They paced their batting on the assumption that the full 32 overs would be available and were therefore well on course for doing so when the rain returned. There was a fine opening stand between Ali Shah, restored to opening, and Andy Flower. Andy Waller had just come in, sent in early again, and was looking in ominous form, hitting 13 off his first seven balls, when the rain returned in force. The Indian team left the field to some ribaldry from the crowd, who knew they were in trouble.

Andy Flower remembers some good bowling at the beginning from Kapil Dev, which prevented them from making a rapid start. It was drizzling a little throughout their innings and the ball was skidding off the pitch; the Indians were soon finding it difficult to bowl with the wet ball. Flower concentrated mainly on deflections, using the speed of the ball off the pitch. When Waller came in, Flower says that 'his momentum just took off', and the two of them began to take the bowling apart. The Indians spread their field back and were beginning to look under real pressure when the rain ended what could have been a classic finish.

Unfortunately the rain prevented any resumption, but the regulations removed India's 13 least productive batting overs from their total, revising it to 158 off 19 overs, and they were adjudged winners on the basis of that. This was a tragedy for Zimbabwe, who were quite confident of scoring 100 runs in the next 13 overs, with nine wickets left against a rather weak bowling attack on a very good pitch. They also had no idea at any stage of their innings just what their score needed to be if rain were to arrive at that point.

Umpire Ian Robinson has calculated that, using the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculation, Zimbabwe would still have lost, but by only 16 runs, as they needed 120 at that stage for parity. However no system of calculation can allow for tactics and increasing confidence; the run rate was beginning to increase rapidly and the Zimbabweans were convinced they were in the process of taking control of this match.

The Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin later admitted that it would have been a hard contest for his side had the match gone the distance and that Zimbabwe were unlucky. The Zimbabweans themselves were quite confident that they would have won given the chance by the weather.

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