Zimbabwe v. West Indies - 1st. Test, Harare

[Donny]

1/37 in the 13th. Streak dismissed Hinds for 24.

Nexy over, Price claims Gayle, caught behind for 13.

[Donny]

Big trouble !!

Streak got one to cut back. Lara shouldered arms and was trapped in front. 3/38.

Heath is having a good Test indeed. 8 overs. 5 maidens. 2/10.

[Donny]

Ganga is out. Bowled by Price for 16.

4/77 after 28. Zimbabwe in with a real chance.

[Donny]

5/103 in the 39th. as Sarwan plays a shocker and is stumped from Gripper's bowling.

[Donny]

Well, this seems to be going nowhere but I am. To bed. Anthony gave up in disgust an hour ago.

The last 20 overs have produced 62 runs. The asking run rate is now 9.

Right from the start of the Windies innings, it looked like they were playing for a draw but every so often there'd be a flurry then a wicket.

They didn't seem to know what they were doing - trying to draw or win. Lara let one go that trapped him in front, Ganga hit across the line and was bowled and Sarwan (how did this bloke get to be vc ?) charged Gripper and was stumped !!

Chanderpaul just went, chipping a ball to mid wicket. Softest of dismissals. This is sad.

Now Drakes drives, in the air, just past the mid off fieldsman. Next over Jacobs plays almost identical shot so they're not dead batting for a draw but are they now attempting the 10 r.p.o. needed for the last 19 overs ??

Very hard to follow. I'll stick with it for a few more overs.

[Donny]

Drakes gone !! Gets a pearler from Blignaut. Can only nudge it to the keeper. 7 down, 3 to go.

Zimbabwe really deserve to win this. They've outplayed their opponents in most departments but have been aided by some ill discipline from the Windies batsmen.

Jacobs goes to 50 from 84 balls. A mixture of good defence and flashing strokes.

15 overs to go. Required run rate is 12.

[Donny]

Another good ball from Bliggy has Taylor thick edging into the gulley where Matsikenyeri juggles then claims the catch.

Taylor stands his ground. It goes to the 3rd. umpy. Red light. Out.

Will the light hold out ? Will the Windies hold on ? Will your intrepid reporter be able to keep his eyes open much longer ?

[Donny]

Collymore gone !! 1 to go. Price has 4 and 10 for the Test.

3 overs to go. Jacobs and Edwards are hanging on. It's past the time play was called off on the previous day for bad light.

The light is very bad. 2 spinners bowling. 1 over left.

Edwards facing. 1st. ball turned just past leg slip. Chance. He sees out the over for a draw.

[Donny]

Jacobs denies brave Zimbabwe

The Wisden Bulletin by John Ward

Zimbabwe were denied a rare Test victory after years of defeat and failure, as the last-wicket pair of Ridley Jacobs and Fidel Edwards successfully played out the last 32 minutes and 71 deliveries to secure a thrilling draw at Harare. The weather remarkably stayed fine to the end, but it was only to mock the earnest, but ultimately futile, efforts of the heart-broken Zimbabwe side.

Zimbabwe had the game all but wrapped up when West Indies sunk to 204 for 9, but Jacobs, who finished on 60 not out, and Edwards emerged as the last-ditch heroes to hold out for the draw. Ray Price, who became only the third Zimbabwean bowler to take ten wickets in an innings, bowled his heart out, wheeling through 38 overs without a break. Heath Streak would gladly have swapped his Man of the Match award after his first-innings century and superb bowling for what would have been a wonderful victory after 11 successive defeats.

Streak perhaps left his declaration too long, waiting until shortly before the close of the morning session with a lead of 372. West Indies began their quest for safety cautiously, but a dramatic 15 minutes extinguished any hopes they had of an unlikely victory.

After Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle departed in quick succession, Streak picked up the big wicket of Brian Lara – with a bit of help from Billy Bowden. Streak deceived Lara with a ball that moved back in on him as he padded up and Bowden gave him out lbw. The replay, however, suggested that it had not come back enough to hit off. The fielders, and the crowd, were ecstatic as the unfortunate Lara made his way back to the pavilion for 1 and Zimbabwe sensed they were on to something (38 for 3).

With all sniffs of victory gone, Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan applied themselves to survival without the pressure or a required run rate. There were, remarkably in this modern era, no extras in the innings until the total reached 66 – at which point Andy Blignaut produced a superb delivery which beat Sarwan and would have trapped him plumb lbw, had Bowden not called no-ball.

Both batsmen, though, cracked under the pressure created by spinners Price and Trevor Gripper. Ganga yorked himself for 16, leaping down the pitch to Price (73 for 4), while Sarwan also left his crease to Gripper, and was stumped for 39 (103 for 5).

The last two recognised batsmen, Shivnarive Chanderpaul and Jacobs, put up a good fight for 78 minutes. They played well, but not with the care that one would expect with only a draw to play for. And that partnership came to an end after 68 runs when Chanderpaul clipped Price straight to midwicket (171 for 6).

Even though they were making good progress, Zimbabwe struggled under the handicap of having only two threatening bowlers in Streak and Price. But Blignaut came on to bowl his fastest and most telling spell of the match. As if inspired, he bowled at a much greater speed and gave the batsmen a torrid time.

He had Drakes caught by Tatenda Taibu, fending off a rearing ball (184 for 7), and then Jerome Taylor was taken low at fifth slip where Stuart Matsikenyeri juggled it and held the rebound from his hand. And after the third umpire was called to confirm the catch, Taylor was on his way for 3 and West Indies were starting the death march on 191 for 8. And the crowd knew it too, coming to life with cheers and songs in an atmosphere rarely seen outside one-day internationals.

Jacobs in the meantime had reached his fifty, batting well but taking a few risks that were unnecessary considering his team's plight. Corey Collymore was next to go, for 1, pushing a catch to silly mid-off to give Price ten wickets for the match (204 for 9). And that was that … or so everyone thought.

Edwards joined Jacobs with the light fading and the big shadow of the Western Stand across the field, forcing Zimbabwe to resort to spin at both ends. But the batsmen remained obdurate. Price was no doubt tired, Gripper innocuous, and that last wicket just would not fall. By the close all the fielders were within about five yards of the bat, but the batsmen did their job marvellously. They saw out the last twelve overs and didn't give anything away, keeping their cool as the pressure increased.

For Zimbabwe, all that was left was to reflect on what might have been, and the injustice of life in a country where nothing ever seems to go right.