ODI Series - Eng./Zimb./Sth. Africa

[HAL]

I understand.

[Donny]

After 24 overs, England are 0/150 with Solanki (76) and Trescothick (6 ticking the scoreboard over nicely.

[JLC]

[Donny]

Who suggested you'd want the Zimbos to win, JLC ? We know you're a closet Pommy. Lol.

What England should do and what they do do are often quite different scenarios, as any cricket follower should know. After all, m8, England lost 6 of their first 8 matches against Zimbabwe and that was when the Zimmers were comparable to Bangladesh !!
---------------------------------

A 200 opening partnership from Solanki (106 from 108) and Trescothick (114 n.o. from 125) put England on the path to victory and Trescothick and Flintoff finished it off with 44 from 40 balls to win with 4.1 overs to spare.

Solanki is making every post a winner and his 101 ball century earned him Man of the Match.

[HAL]

I don't know what that means.

[Donny]

Hundreds from Solanki and Trescothick sink South Africa
The Wisden Bulletin by Martin Williamson - June 27, 2003

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England wobbled in the final furlong, but superb hundreds from Marcus Trescothick and Vikram Solanki – his first in England colours – proved too much for a South African side who would have sunk without trace were it not for a gutsy century from Jacques Kallis century. It was just the medicine that Michael Vaughan, who missed the match with a back injury, needed after Thursday's dismal performance.

On what appeared to be an almost perfect batting strip, South Africa should have been looking for a score in excess of 300 after winning the toss. As it was they struggled against the movement generated by the England seamers in the first hour, and then their bowlers underperformed on a surface which was as unforgiving as they will play on all summer. Kallis, Mark Boucher and the late middle order boosted the South African total – the last ten overs of their innings produced 81 runs – but it was put into context when England's innings started at a similar pace.

Whereas against Pakistan eight days ago Trescothick had been the executioner while Solanki fulfilled the role of runner, this time it was Solanki who set the pace. From the off he powerfully drove anything pitched up and pulled whenever the bowlers dropped short. Trescothick meanwhile scored almost exclusively square or behind square – he reached his fifty without one scoring shot genuinely in front of the wicket.

Solanki had one let off when he was caught behind off a no-ball by Shaun Pollock but otherwise he looked every inch an England opener. His hundred came up off 101 balls, and by the time he was dismissed by Ntini he had contributed 106 to an England record one-day opening stand of 200. The only blemish on the charge towards victory then came as Robert Key and Anthony McGrath were both dismissed for 0. Key did himself no favours with a wild swing at the first ball he received, from Ntini, while McGrath was undone by a peach of ball from Kallis.

Andrew Flintoff arrived like a man miffed at being woken from a summer-afternoon nap and determined to get back to his hammock as quickly as possible. South Africa might have sniffed the chance of pulling off a dramatic comeback, but Flintoff's 21-ball 32 saw to that. He lofted two sixes, one a massive drive over long-on, and that was that. For once Trescothick, who had the added distraction of leading England in Vaughan's absence, was allowed the luxury of reaching his own hundred without worrying about what was going on at the other end.

That the sell-out crowd were given a whole afternoon's entertainment was down to Kallis's well-paced hundred, his ninth hundred in ODIs and his first against England. It rescued South Africa from a stodgy start during which James Anderson bowled Herschelle Gibbs for 5 and had Graeme Smith play on for 13. Anderson still bowled too short, and the dark red Mohican stripe in his hair hinted that perhaps he is taking the talk of him being cricket's David Beckham too literally.

The innings really lost its way thanks to a brilliant piece of athleticism from Richard Johnson. Kallis dropped a short ball from Johnson at his feet and immediately sent the the committed Jacques Rudolph back. Johnson's follow-through took him almost level with Kalllis, and he picked-up the ball, swiveled, and threw down the stumps at the bowler's end in one movement with Rudolph (20) inches short (72 for 3).

Kallis and Boucher (55) then set out to repair the innings, and did so with a combination of powerful hitting and good running, adding 111 in 22 overs and blunting England's far from hostile attack. Ashley Giles and Johnson looked average, and again Anthony McGrath's brief spell gave little indication that he has what it takes to be a genuine allrounder.

Boucher's dismissal for 55, bowled by the first of three excellent wicket-taking yorkers from Flintoff, triggered an increase in the scoring rate and Kallis brought up his hundred in the 48th over off 129 balls. It was an emotional moment for Kallis, who pointed to the No. 65 on the back of his shirt, a number dedicated to his ailing father.

Kallis fell soon after to Flintoff in the last-gasp slog, but the real fireworks came in the final over when Andrew Hall struck Darren Gough for five successive fours. The aggression came about two hours too late.

[JLC]

I think South Africa are in a bit of trouble with their cricket. Biggest mistake was sacking Shaun Pollock. Pakistan are in a rebuilding process and pretty ordinary.

India are only good at home and New Zealand are ok but only have two good bowlers in Bond and Vettori. Windies are imporving but need more quality bowlers. Sri Lanka have a couple good bowlers but the team is rebuilding as well.

Therefore in relative terms i think England would beat any country except for Australia at home and away have the potential to be competitive in most countries.

In the test arena i cannot see Australia being dethrowned for quite a while!!!!!!

jlc

[Donny]

Zimbabwe win toss and field
The Wisden Bulletin by Andrew Miller - June 29, 2003

Zimbabwe may have been pencilled in as the pre-tournament whipping-boys, but today at Canterbury they have the opportunity to steal a considerable march on South Africa, who were soundly beaten by England yesterday, in the third fixture of the NatWest Series.

Zimbabwe shocked England in Thursday's curtain-raiser at Trent Bridge, and have made just the one change from that side. Gary Brent, who didn't bat or bowl (but took a good catch) makes way for Doug Hondo, who showed glimpses of form during the Test series.

Heath Streak duly won the toss, and chose to exploit the early conditions at Canterbury. The wicket looks true, however, and Graeme Smith would have chosen to bat first anyway. South Africa have named an unchanged side.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Jacques Rudolph, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Martin van Jaarsveld, 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Andrew Hall, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Alan Dawson, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

Zimbabwe 1 Doug Marillier, 2 Dion Ebrahim, 3 Travis Friend, 4 Grant Flower, 5 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 6 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 7 Heath Streak (capt), 8 Sean Ervine, 9 Andy Blignaut, 10 Doug Hondo, 11 Ray Price.

[Donny]

Herschelle Gibbs failed again. This time being bowled by Andy Blignaut for 5. SA are 1/9 after 3 overs.

[Donny]

SA made 5/272 with Kallis leading the way with 125 n.o.

Hondo was the best bowler with 2/29 from 9.1 overs.

[Donny]

Marillier (3) went early but Ebrahim and Friend have taken the score to 1/112 after 25 overs. Oops, Ebrahim just departed for 40.

Friend is playing very well and has 64 from only 72 balls.

[Donny]

Friend made 82 but a good spell from Andrew Hall (3/3 proved the undoing of Zimbabwe as they could only reach 9/226.

[Donny]

England looking to make amends at Headingley
Ralph Dellor - June 30, 2003

The first round of matches in the NatWest Series has been completed and there is an appealing symmetry about the results. Zimbabwe beat England, England beat South Africa and South Africa beat Zimbabwe, and all that separates the sides is run-rate.

Next up, it is England against Zimbabwe at Headingley, providing England with an early opportunity to make amends for the sub-standard performance they put in at Trent Bridge in the opening match of series. After the win against South Africa, confidence should be high, but that was the case after beating Pakistan in the NatWest Challenge.

England will be taking a number of plus points into the Headingley match from the win at The Oval. Marcus Trescothick is in the one-day form of his life, and he has found an opening partner in Vikram Solanki who should go on from his marvellous hundred in the last match with added vigour. England are also likely to have their captain back to appear on his home ground. Michael Vaughan might have played at The Oval had qualification rested on a win, but now his back should have recovered to make a fitness test a formality before he takes his place to help bolster what still appears to be a fragile middle order.

Zimbabwe have served notice that they cannot be taken lightly, and they will not be from now on. However, to inflict another defeat on England at Headingley would indeed be a surprise. To happen, England's seam attack would have to under-perform and Zimbabwe's batsmen would have to be very positive. If all that happens and Heath Streak enjoys conditions at Headingley as much as his style and quality of bowling suggest he should, a Zimbabwe win is not inconceivable, but has to be seen as an unlikely result.

[Donny]

In a rain shortened match, England are 3/24 after 6 overs. Streak removed both openers and the makeshift #3, Read, was run out.

[Donny]

A brief taste of Twentyfive25 cricket
Wisden CricInfo staff - July 1, 2003

On a day of frustration, with bad weather postponing the start until 3.50pm, Headingley was briefly given a taste of the Twenty20 Cup – or Twentyfive25 to be precise. But after a futile attempt to defy the elements, the match was called off in the 17th over of England's effort, just as the local boys Michael Vaughan and Anthony McGrath were repairing a dreadful start to the innings. The competition rules state that no contest can take place over less than 25 overs a side, so even the briefest of interruptions would have been curtains.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, England slumped to 32 for 4 in typically zippy Headingley conditions, including three in the space of eight deliveries, before Vaughan and McGrath added 49 for the fifth wicket to save their blushes. Vaughan, who by the close was batting as fluently as he has all summer, was disappointed to be forced off by the umpires, shortly after turning down an offer for bad light. But after the start England had made, he was probably secretly quite pleased.

In England's previous match, against South Africa at The Oval, Vikram Solanki and Marcus Trescothick had added 200 for the first wicket. This time, however, they lasted three overs between them. Heath Streak, finding the perfect line and a hint of movement, dismissed them both in his second over, thanks to a pair of blinding catches from Grant Flower.

First to go was Solanki, who had launched one fleet-footed drive over the covers off Doug Hondo, but then attempted to work Streak through the leg side and skewed a thick edge to Flower in the gully for 8 (11 for 1). And then, four balls later, Trescothick attempted to cut a wide delivery that seamed back towards him, and Flower again scooped a brilliant low chance to his right (12 for 2).

Chris Read had been an unlikely choice as a pinch-hitter, but he lasted all of four deliveries. He pushed Hondo towards mid-on and hared off for a quick single, but Gary Brent swooped and pinged down the stumps at the non-striker's end (13 for 3).

Andrew Flintoff and Vaughan attempted to repair the damage, although with the ball moving every which way but loose, batting was a real struggle. Vaughan, on 11, came perilously close to being nailed lbw by Streak, but the next man to fall was Flintoff, who pulled Andy Blignaut towards the boundary, but only managed to swat him down the throat of Travis Friend at midwicket (32 for 4).

Slowly but surely, England steadied the ship, and were looking set for a competitive total when the heavens opened once again.

England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Vikram Solanki, 3 Michael Vaughan, 4 Andrew Flintoff, 5 Anthony McGrath, 6 Jim Troughton, 7 Chris Read, 8 Kabir Ali, 9 Richard Johnson, 10 Darren Gough, 11 James Anderson.

Zimbabwe 1 Doug Marillier, 2 Dion Ebrahim, 3 Travis Friend, 4 Grant Flower, 5 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 6 Andy Blignaut, 7 Heath Streak (capt), 8 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 9 Sean Ervine, 10 Gary Brent, 11 Doug Hondo.