2nd Test: Zimbabwe v South Africa at Bulawayo, 14-18 Sep 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: Zimbabwe v South Africa at Bulawayo, 14-18 Sep 2001
John Ward

Zimbabwe 1st innings: Day 3 - Resume, Day 3 - Lunch, Day 3 - Tea,
Live Reports from previous days

ZIMBABWE GRIND ON IN BULAWAYO TEST

By tea on the third day of the second Test match in Bulawayo Zimbabwe had taken their score to 332 for six, a tally that normally would please them when scored against South Africa, but which in the context of the match was slower than they would have liked, coming as it did off 157 overs. The main culprit was Stuart Carlisle, whose dogged 49 occupied 265 minutes.

Andy Flower fell soon after lunch for 67 in uncharacteristic fashion: he quite misjudged a ball from Henderson that kicked viciously off the pitch, and lobbed up off the glove to give silly mid-off the easiest of catches. Zimbabwe were 261 for four.

Grant Flower, with several unsuccessful Tests behind him, obviously decided that there was nothing to lose by being positive, and was soon catching up Carlisle, who occasionally surprised with a sparkling stroke, such as a swept six off Henderson when he was 40. Then came a mix-up in mid-pitch, which resulted in Flower (44) slipping and failing to beat the throw from Kallis; 327 for five.

Carlisle failed to reach his fifty, adjudged lbw to Pollock for 49 off 201 balls, although the camera seemed to reveal a thin inside edge. Although the slow pitch and the now heavy outfield made scoring difficult, his innings was slower than Zimbabwe would have liked, with time at a premium.

FLOWER BACK IN THE GROOVE AS ZIMBABWE GET A MOVE ON

Another fifty by master batsman Andy Flower (64 at lunch) enabled Zimbabwe to build on their advantage on the third morning of the Second Test match against South Africa at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Accompanied by the dogged Stuart Carlisle (26 not out), he took Zimbabwe to 255 for three at lunch.

Play began 30 minutes early in an effort to make up lost time after the complete washout of the second day's play. The weather was still overcast but at least the strong frigid wind had gone.

Hamilton Masakadza and Carlisle, the batsmen in possession, played positively from the start. Masakadza had just hooked Nel superbly for four when he drove at a leg-cutter from the same bowler, to be caught at the wicket by Mark Boucher for 13.

Andy Flower began as if he had been batting all week - which he virtually has - taking just eight balls to reach double figures.

It took over an hour before Claude Henderson was given a belated bowl, and immediately he got the ball to turn sharply. Carlisle, struggling against the spin, became almost a sleeping partner, contributing only 12 runs when the fifty partnership came up, as Flower again held court.

He scored mainly through well-judged pushes and nudges through gaps in the field, but when South Africa finally decided to bowl very straight at him, as he entered the forties, they managed to restrict his scoring temporarily.

Yet another fifty, his 12th in his last 15 innings, came off 79 balls. One unusual aspect of it was his faulty running between wickets, normally very good, but in this session he had four narrow escapes, the third only because Boucher dropped the ball as he swept the bails off.

ZIMBABWE RESUME BATTING IN BULAWAYO TEST

After the loss of the whole of the second day's play to rain, play resumed in the second Test match between Zimbabwe and South Africa at the Queen's Club in Bulawayo on Sunday.

Zimbabwe, 154 for two when bad light stopped play on Friday evenings, continued their second innings as play started 30 minutes early in a bid to make up lost time.

South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0.