Day 1

Close of Play (1st Day): Australian Cricket Academy 362/7 dec; Zimbabwe Cricket Academy 35/5.

The Australian Academy look as if they are heading for their second successive two-day victory in Zimbabwe after day one of their first-class match against the Zimbabwe Academy at Alexandra Sports Club in Harare.

They won a good toss on a pitch that is expected to crumble on the third day, should that take place. Early on the pitch gave the bowlers some life, but after the first hour it became a good batting pitch, although as so often at this venue the bounce was uneven.

Everton Matambanadzo missed much of the morning session due to an accident to his mother, and Andy Blignaut was unfit to play, so the new ball was taken by David Mutendera, back after a long spell of injury, and Gary Brent. Both made the ball move around to start with, although before long the seam virtually disappeared. Brent took a wicket in his first over as left-hander Marcus North was caught at the wicket, without scoring, by Bruce Moore-Gordon diving to his right. Moore-Gordon also took a catch to give Greg Lamb a wicket with third first ball in first-class cricket to dismiss Brad Hodge for 18.

Corey Richards, who opened the innings, played with care and weathered the early difficulties. He was fortunate, though, soon after the dismissal of Hodge to be missed of a very low and sharp return catch. Then, with the pitch easing, he and Graeme Rummans began to cash in. Rummans was particularly impressive through the covers, while Richards' driving brought many of his runs, although he played all the shots. He did miscue two or three hits, but they fell clear of the fielders. Matambanadzo bowled quite a fiery spell after lunch, beating the bat a few times, but the batsmen weathered the storm and gradually won the battle.

Richards and Rummans added 177 for the third wicket before Rummans advanced down the pitch to Ray Price, and if he hadn't been bowled he should have been stumped. Price was expensive, but he was getting quite sharp turn even before lunch on the first day. Richards by then had just passed his century, which came off 177 balls. By the time he eventually drove a catch straight at mid-on, he had hit three sixes, all straight drives off the spinners, and 14 fours.

Stephen Glew did not stick around for long, but Michael Klinger and Graham Manou took heavy toll of the second new ball when it was taken. Hodge declared to leave his bowlers an hour to get stuck into the local batsmen.

The Zimbabweans showed their inexperience and naiveté by bowling their overs at a rate in excess of 16 per hour. No doubt a shop steward from the International Trade Union of Test Cricketers will get hold of them and tell them that in modern cricket it is considered highly suspect for a team to bowl its overs at the required rate, and totally unacceptable to exceed the quota, except in cases of dire emergency (such as an attempt to bowl out a side against the clock)! Some of our local cricketers have a lot to learn of the real world!

According to one of the Zimbabwean players, there was a lot of negative talk among his team-mates as to how quick Brett Lee is and how good the Australian bowlers are. Clearly these players were half demoralised before they reached the crease, and they tried to make sure the rest of the team was, too. Some thought programming is urgently needed if this team is going to reach its potential -- but it is early days yet, as the Academy only opened in January. They need to learn from the Australians, who did not reach the top in world cricket by talking like wimps.

Lee took a couple of overs to warm up, but was then genuinely quick, bowling a liberal quantity of bouncers. The uneven bounce of the pitch added to the apprehension of the batsmen. Neil Ferreira was quickly caught at first slip, while Ray Price rather tamely flashed a catch to second slip. Doug Marillier came out looking full of fight, hitting some fine aggressive strokes and facing some very hostile bowling courageously. He lashed Lee for a superb four through the covers, but next ball something snapped and he lashed out wildly, to be bowled by Lee for 15.

Patrick Gada battled with a quiet desperation, but then withdrew his bat to a ball which cut back and removed his off stump. Finally Trevor Madondo played over a ball from Ashley Noffke to be bowled, and the Zimbabwe Academy finished they day on a desperate 35 for five. The follow-on target of 214 looks an awful long way away.

Day 2

At Alexandra Sports Club, Harare; 27, 28 March. AUSTRALIAN CRICKET ACADEMY 363/7 dec and 193/2 dec; ZIMBABWE CRICKET ACADEMY 49 and 191. Australia Cricket Academy won by 316 runs.

The Australian Academy team duly completed its second successive two-day victory in first-class matches by beating a hapless Zimbabwe Academy team by a massive margin.

The Zimbabweans, 35 for five overnight, quickly subsided to 49 all out, the lowest total in any first-class match in this country, beating the 50 scored by North-Eastern Transvaal against Rhodesia, as it then was, at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo in 1952/53. Brett Lee's fast bowling did most of the physical and all of the psychological damage as he took a further four wickets to finish with figures of six for 25, including at one stage three wickets in four balls.

The Zimbabweans largely dug their own grave as they illustrated 'the power of negative thinking'. One of their team reported how hard it was preparing to bat while several other players were talking in awe of how fast Lee was, so much faster than any other bowler they had faced . . . With such an attitude, they were inevitably defeated before they stepped on to the field.

Academy director Gwynne Jones is aware of the problem, and said this match should act as a 'wake-up' call to his players, showing them clearly the standard they have to attain if they want to reach the top. He is certain many of them will learn their lesson and make the grade.

Australian Academy coach Rod Marsh, when asked what he would do if his players talked in such a way, replied that he didn't know as he hadn't encountered it yet! Confidence is a way of life to Australians, which is a major factor in their being the number one cricket nation in the world; the Zimbabweans still have a long way to go in that regard. Confidence should not develop into arrogance, though. Celebration at the fall of a wicket can be considered acceptable, but laughter in ridicule of the dismissed batsmen, as happened on several occasions as the bowlers ripped through the Zimbabwean batting, is certainly not.

The later Zimbabwean batsmen fulfilled their own death-wish against Lee, beaten for pace and by their own fears. The ineptitude bred by apprehension showed only two clearly as last batsman Everton Matambanadzo was run out by a direct hit on the stumps; he was clearly home, except for the fact that his bat was still dangling in the air.

According to Mr Marsh, the Australians did not enforce the follow-on as they wanted to give match practice to some more of their batsmen, especially in view of their three matches next weekend against the national side, and also to rest Lee.

They soon lost Stephen Glew, for his second failure of the match, but Marcus North and Brad Hodge played well, and after lunch began a spectacular assault on the bowlers. Hodge hit the first ball of the afternoon session, from left-arm spinner Ray Price, for a six over long off, and after that sixes came at the rate of about one an over. Hodge reached his century and declared shortly afterwards, having hit 6 sixes and 13 fours in his unbeaten 112, which came off 103 balls.

Hodge's sporting declaration left the Zimbabweans 508 to win in almost five full sessions, which should certainly have been enough time to get the runs. The only snag was that perhaps they did not have enough wickets in hand -- another 20 or so would have been useful!

Immediately disaster struck the shell-shocked Zimbabweans, with Price yorked by the first ball of the innings, bowled by Ashley Noffke this time as Lee was kept in reserve. Again the only batsman to try to carry the attack to the bowlers was Doug Marillier, who played some fine strokes under pressure. Unfortunately he did not reap full reward, having scored 33 when he was deceived by a well-disguised slower ball, a full toss, from Lee and adjudged lbw.

After this Hodge decided to give his spinners some exercise, and the Zimbabweans decided this was a pace they could handle. Greg Lamb, unbeaten on 5 in the first innings when batting at number seven, climbed in with an enterprising 67 off 67 balls, playing some fine strokes and seeming to score off virtually every ball. Thoughts were rising of a century on debut when he played across the line and was given out lbw to Hodge himself. He had shared a partnership of 101 for the fifth wicket with Gary Brent, who nobly promoted himself from nine to five in the order when on a 'pair' and with Lee still bowling.

Brent fell in the next over, for 37, hitting a straight-forward return catch to Graeme Rummans, and then the last few wickets fell quickly. Only ten players batted, as Trevor Madondo was missing all day; he had apparently suffered an injury the previous night, but official details on this have not yet been released.

The Australians were clearly much the better team, but not all THAT much better. The biggest difference was in attitude, confidence and morale. Once the Zimbabweans get their thinking straight, they will at least be able to give such opposition a good fight.

Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)