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

South Africa 1st innings: Day 4 - Lunch, Day 4 - Tea, Day 5 - Lunch, Day 5 - Declaration, Day 5 - Tea,
Live Reports from previous days

SOUTH AFRICA DECLARE AT 519/8 IN BULAWAYO

South Africa made little pretence of trying to win the second Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Tuesday, the match meandering along aimlessly during the afternoon before the visitors finally declared at 519 for eight at tea, the lead being 100.

There was little to enthuse about after lunch, with South Africa content to wait for the runs to come and Zimbabwe seemingly devoid of any ideas to take wickets.

Lance Klusener (27) did make one or two lusty blows before slicing Price to slip, and when Shaun Pollock took two off the first ball he faced, South Africa had finally taken the lead.

While Jacques Kallis lumbered along, Pollock settled in and then began to hit out. Ray Price bowled on, passing Paul Strang's Zimbabwe record of 69 overs bowled in an innings, and took his fifth wicket when Pollock (41 off 57 balls) cut him for Stuart Carlisle at backward point to take a fine diving catch.

Mark Boucher also batted positively for his 14 before being bowled by Travis Friend, who in his next over bowled Claude Henderson (0).

At this point Pollock declared, leaving Kallis stranded on 189, in almost ten hours, and Price stranded on 79 overs.

SOUTH AFRICA DECLARE AT 519/8 IN BULAWAYO

South Africa declared their first innings closed at 519 for eight on the last afternoon of the second Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

The declaration gave South Africa a 100-run lead over Zimbabwe on the first innings and left Jacques Kallis unbeaten on 189, his highest Test score.

SOUTH AFRICAN TRUNDLE ON IN BULAWAYO

The Second Test match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo drew slowly towards it seemingly inevitable stalemate as South Africa batted through to lunch to score 390 for four wickets.

Jacques Kallis, with his ninth test century, was 135 at the interval, with Lance Klusener on 10.

Probably both teams took the field with no real expectation of a meaningful day's play, except in the matter of personal records, thanks to South Africa's lack of drive on the fourth day that left them still 119 runs behind Zimbabwe at the start of play.

Overnight batsmen Kallis and Neil McKenzie obviously had their eyes on centuries, and with Kallis on 81 and the faster-scoring McKenzie on 74 overnight, on the placid pitch against Zimbabwe's pop-gun bowling attack, without the injured Paul Strang, it was largely a question of who would get there first.

Kallis made all the early running, reaching the nineties by driving Raymond Price for a straight six, and then his century by hammering a short ball from the same bowler through the covers for four. He then opened out even more, but lost McKenzie for 88, trapped lbw by Heath Streak after a partnership of 181. South Africa were 343 for three.

The loss of McKenzie quietened Kallis somewhat, and Zimbabwe believed they had him caught down the leg side off Guy Whittall on 118, but the appeal was rejected. Boeta Dippenaar (11) holed out in the covers trying to get after Price, while Klusener showed little of his renowned aggression before lunch.

SOUTH AFRICANS CONSOLIDATE POSITION IN SLOW AFTERNOON SESSION

A somnolent afternoon session saw South Africa score 76 runs without haste for the loss of Kirsten’s wicket.

Kirsten batted with such skill and apparent ease that it came as a surprise when he was dismissed for 65 after lunch. He moved down the pitch to Price who, perhaps seeing him coming, tossed the ball wider and Andy Flower easily stumped him. South Africa were 162 for two.

The scoring rate slowed to about two runs an over as Neil McKenzie joined Kallis. Strang was unable to bowl much with his sore finger, and Price kept the batsmen wary with the occasional dangerous ball. Throughout the match it has been clear that the older the ball has become, the harder it has been for the batsmen to score.

The run rate did not pick up much when Streak took the second new ball, and at tea South Africa were 212 for two, still eight runs short of the now token target to save the follow-on; Kallis had 48 and McKenzie 21.

CENTURY PARTNERSHIP GIVES SOUTH AFRICA FINE START IN BULAWAYO

Another century partnership between openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs gave South Africa a fine start in pursuit of Zimbabwe's total of 419 on the fourth morning of the Second Test at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. At the interval South Africa had reached 136 for the loss of Gibbs, dismissed for 74.

Heath Streak's tactics at the start of play were open to question, as he chose to begin with the seamers of himself and Travis Friend. Streak on current form is no longer a great bowler, and on this benign pitch both were predictably innocuous.

Gibbs and Kirsten appeared completely at ease and had certainly played themselves in well by the time Streak finally resorted to left-arm spinner Raymond Price at one end. With the ball often turning sharply, many felt there should have been spin from at least one end from the start.

Gibbs ran to his fifty, off 91 balls, with three boundaries in an over off the wayward Friend, together with four leg-byes. This finally persuaded Streak to resort to Paul Strang, whom many had considered to be his trump card, for the 20th over of the day. With his second ball Strang made a gallant effort to catch a ferocious straight drive by Gibbs and damaged a finger so badly that he had to leave the field, unable to grip the ball.

Fortunately it was no more than badly bruised and he returned to the field just before lunch.

Gibbs brought up the hundred for South Africa with a drive for six off Price; he was scoring at about twice the rate of his partner. The pair added 117 before Gibbs (74) played forward to a turning ball from Price and edged a catch to the keeper. To his credit, he walked without waiting for the umpire's decision.

Kirsten reached his fifty and was unbeaten on 54 at lunch, while Jacques Kallis had four.