Date-stamped : 15 Dec96 - 14:15
Report - Electronic Telegraph

England out of excuses after being swallowed by minnows

By Martin Johnson in Bulawayo


BRITISH Airways are sponsoring the one-day international series
in Zimbabwe, though why they would want their name to be
associated with England's cricket team is anyone's guess. The
way things are going, Michael Atherton's men will soon be lucky
if they can squeeze an offer out of Aeroflot.

Zimbabwe were excited enough by yesterday's two-wicket victory
for their batsmen to make a grab for souvenir stumps, but they
are just about the only country left who regard them as trophies
worth having. Australia have long since stopped bothering, in
the same way that anglers throw back tiddlers.

Many theories have been advanced for performances like this in
recent years - smog, prawns, too much fitness training, not
enough fitness training, heat, altitude, the alignment of the
planets . . . what next? Every time we think England have
bottomed out they produce yet another gem of incompetence, and
if you were to include them all in a book, they'd take up more
space on the shelf than the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Their record in these games against Zimbabwe is now 1-3, and
while they deserve a modicum of credit for pushing the home side
so close after posting a hopelessly inadequate 152 all out with
4.2 overs unused, the batting was so dreadful that the newly
arrived Ian Botham came into the press tent to make it clear
that he had been hired only as an honorary bowling adviser.

The pitch was not brilliant for a one-day game - too slow for
fluent strokeplay and offering a bit for all types of bowler -
but the winning captain and man of the match Alistair Campbell
still thought 240 was a par total.

England were put in and, as usual, their No 3 did not have long
to wait before getting in. This time it was the captain,
Atherton, who spent 35 deliveries before scoring his first run
and, after making 23 from 77 balls, skied a catch to mid-on with
a heave that would have embarrassed the village blacksmith.

Atherton would have been run out for 15 had the third umpire's
television not broken down, and it would be slightly surprising
if the TV repair man is not on his way to several homes in
England this morning as a result of something heavy being hurled
at the screen.

The Zimbabwean pace attack swung the ball just enough to cause
problems, but not as many as England created for themselves.
There were several elements of high farce, including Alan
Mullally's promotion to No 7 to hit a few boundaries, only for
him to depart first ball after a limp prod back to the bowler.

England's ninth wicket was a farcical run-out mix-up between
Darren Gough and Nasser Hussain, but neither of these were in
the same class as the build-up to England's final dismissal,
when Hussain was joined by Chris Silverwood with 6.5 overs
remaining.

Silverwood somehow groped his way through the rest of the over
from leg-spinner Paul Strang, whereupon Hussain took a single
from the first ball of the next over from Heath Streak.
Silverwood blocked the next four, and took a single off the
final ball to ensure that he would be facing Strang, a bowler he
had no idea how to play.

Hussain then watched Silverwood miss an attempted sweep, came
down the wicket to tell him to block out the rest of the over,
and returned to the non-striker's end just in time to watch
Silverwood slice a catch to slip. It would have had them rolling
in the aisles at the Whitehall Theatre.

Silverwood, commendably preferred to the pedestrian Andrew
Caddick, then responded with a fine bowling performance in his
first international, nipping one back just enough to have Grant
Flower bowled off an inside edge with his sixth delivery, and
then having Andy Flower caught in the covers.

Mullally gave nothing away with a new ball, and when Zimbabwe's
best batsman, Dave Houghton, spooned Gough to short extra cover,
there was the first hint that the home team, at 73 for three
from 21 overs, might not breast the tape with much to spare.

However, Atherton's decision to withhold Ronnie Irani until the
innings was almost half over hardly suggested crushing faith in
him, and with Robert Croft's offspin being quietly milked for
ones and twos, England were too short of reliable bowlers.

Gough, though, picked up another wicket, and Andy Waller, having
been badly dropped in the deep by Graham Thorpe, was run out
after a brilliant diving stop from Hussain. Then Mullally
returned to take two wickets in consecutive balls to leave
Zimbabwe in all sorts of trouble at 106 for seven.

However, with Campbell batting at No 7 because of a wrist injury
sustained in the pre-match fielding practice, and Streak having
just made a fluent half-century against England in the previous
game, Zimbabwe were not short of batting, and these two just
about saw them home until Streak gave Croft a return catch.

When Eddo Brandes strode in at No 10, Atherton took an
interminable time to set his field, and promptly reset it when
Brandes smote his first ball from Croft for six. The final runs
took an age to score, but only because England were moving
fielders after every ball. There were still eight overs to bowl
after the designated finishing time.

Apart from losing the match, therefore, they will also lose
money in over-rate fines. The perfect end to a perfect day.


Source : Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

Match Report from John Ward 11:00 GMT

End of the England innings

Barring major surprises, in a few hours' time Zimbabwe should 
complete a handsome victory over England in the first one-day 
International after bowling the tourists out for 152.
The one surprise in the Zimbabwe selection was pace bowler John 
Rennie, but in the end he bowled well and returned the best bowling 
figures.  He was selected in preference to Bryan Strang, Pom Mbangwa 
and Everton Matambanadzo, much to general surprise.

England began well after two maiden overs, with Nick Knight and 
Alec Stewart putting on 28 for the first wicket before Knight moved 
across his stumps and was lbw to Streak. Stewart looked the best 
of the England batsmen, scoring 26 off 33 balls before he was 
beaten by an excellent ball from Streak which lifted and moved from 
leg, and he snicked a catch to wicketkeeper Andy Flower.This was the 
turning point of the innings, as England never looked like taking 
control after that.

Atherton did not score his first run until his 25th ball, and was 
perhaps fortunate later in his innings to be adjudged not out when 
a direct hit from Craig Evans had him in trouble when going for a 
quick single. At this stage, the third umpire was not operating as 
some genius had put the point of an umbrella through the main 
power cable! He shared a 49-run partnership with Nasser Hussain,
but neither was ever able to dominate a hyped-up attack backed 
by superb fielding.

Atherton eventually fell, caught by substitute fielder Andy 
Whittall off a skier as he tried to loft Grant Flower over mid-on. 
John Crawley did not last long, and John Rennie virtually destroyed 
England's chances of passing 200 by taking two caught-and-bowled
chances off successive balls. Hussain was eventually left stranded 
on 49 not out as the innings closed with 4.2 overs unused.

Heath Streak's final spell was excellent, and he also took 
three wickets. Zimbabwe have had trouble in the past chasing 
targets, but it will be a major surprise if they fail to reach 
this one, as the team appears highly confident and is currently 
on a roll. The crowd are in festive mood, and have enjoyed the 
performance of an African dance band during the lunch interval.

End of Match

In a nailbiting finish, Zimbabwe beat England by two wickets in the  end,
a victory which could well have come more easily.Grant flower asnd Andy
Waller began the innings with a steady opening  partnership, but some
indiscreet shots by some of Zimbabwe's top order  batsmen began a gradual
slide.

What could have been the major turning point was the runout of Andy
Waller when well set: Guy Whittall cut the ball hard to backward point
where  Nasser Hussain, the outstanding English fielder of the day, made a
brilliant  diving half-stop.Waller came charging down the wicket, only for
Hussain to recover the  ball and lob the bowl to the bowler's end, just
beating Waller to it.

Aliastair Campbell, batting number 7 due to a hand
injury, stood firm  as the middle order crumbled around him.Each wicket
saw a reduction of Zimbabwe's confidence and an increase in  England's
vitality, although they spoilt the effect with some outrageous
time-wasting.Campbell and Streak played steady cricket, and thre was no
real need  for panic stations as Zimbabwe are playing capable batsmen
right down to  number 11.

The match still appeared in the balance when Eddo
Brandes, at 10, came  out to join Campbell.Campbell told him simply to
play jhis natural game, and Brandes took  these instructions literally
enough to hit his first ball, from Croft, for a  massive six over extra
cover.This eased the tension considerably, and he and Campbell continued
to  play sensible cricket until they finally took Zimbabwe home.

Atherton handled his bowlers and fielders very well, taking the
justifiable gamble of bowling out his main strike bowlers in an effort to
break the Zimbabwe innings completely.

The pitch played well throughout - at the post-match
press conference,  Campbell said he had thought it was a 240-run pitch and
had put England in  in the hope that early life would give Zimbabwe a
quick advantage, which did  in fact happen.Neither side, however, batted
well enough to make best use of it.

Zimbabweans are now celebrating their third victory in four official
international matches against England.

<END> Contributed by John Ward of the ZCU