Match report India v Zimbabwe VB Series 24 Jan 2004 by John Ward

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Scorecard:

India v Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe’s long-suffering cricket supports have seen it all too often before. Their team unexpectedly has the opposition on the ropes – only to have their seemingly iron grip rested away from them in a startling recovery. Their team has a real chance of victory in a thrilling finish – only for the players to choke and go down at the last ditch.

 

Both scenarios were evident at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. India lost their first three wickets for four runs, but recovered to make 280. They needed 33 runs off 25 balls to win, but had seven wickets left – and they messed up. The positive side is that Zimbabwe were competitive, but they still lack the confidence and courage to win in a tight situation, with occasional exceptions.

 

The turning point of the game came when Indian star V V S Laxman was in the fifties. Twice within a few minutes he could and should have been run out, only for the fielders to waste two clear-cut chances. He went on to make 131, his third century in a week and make Zimbabwe’s task so much harder.

 

It had all begun so well for Zimbabwe after India chose to bat on a very good pitch. In the first over, bowled by Heath Streak, Sanjay Bangar lashed at a ball outside the off stump and Stuart Carlisle took a juggling catch at second slip. In Streak’s next over, makeshift opener Pathik Patel attempted a drive and gave the keeper, Tatenda Taibu, a straightforward catch; neither scored. Then, in Andy Blignaut’s second over, Sourav Ganguly hooked at a short ball which came through faster than he expected, and lofted a catch towards the leg boundary. He had a single to his name and India were three down for four runs, partly due to good balls but more due to their own poor strokeplay.

 

Streak and Blignaut found little help in the atmosphere or the pitch, but were disciplined in length and direction, although Blignaut lessened the pressure on the batsmen with five wides. Perhaps Streak took himself off too quickly instead on maintaining the pressure. First change Sean Ervine bowled an uncharacteristically poor spell, four overs for 33 runs, and Laxman took full advantage, reclaiming the initiative for India. With exquisite timing, he raced to his fifty off 44 balls, uninhibited by the serious situation his team was in or by discomfort in running caused by a strain.

 

Rahul Dravid at the other end was as usual less spectacular but simply accumulated runs efficiently. This partnership has been the backbone of India’s batting throughout their Australian tour. Dravid made 56 of the stand of 133 before pulling Raymond Price to midwicket, where Blignaut pulled off a juggling catch to rival that of Carlisle.

 

Blignaut was an inspiration in the field, and should have run out Laxman earlier with a fine movement and throw, only to be let down by Price’s fumble at the bowler’s end. He later caught Rohan Gavaskar on the leg boundary off Douglas Hondo, but only after the batsman had scored his maiden one-day fifty, a fine aggressive innings in support of Laxman.

 

After reaching his century Laxman was also dropped by Streak at mid-off. Hemang Badani produced a magnificent straight drive for four before being yorked by Streak for 5, and finally, in the penultimate over, Laxman attempted a leg-side hit to a full toss from Hondo, only to get a top edge and be caught at third man for 131.

 

With Ajit Agarkar 12 not out, India finished on 280 for seven. It was not a great score on such a fine pitch, but it was expected to be more than enough for the Zimbabweans, with their top-order batting crisis.

 

Vusi Sibanda, restored to the side with Mark Vermeulen injured, and Grant Flower began cautiously, and perhaps need to look more towards working singles to keep the score moving during the opening overs. They put on 12, 10 by Flower, before, in the fifth over and perhaps frustrated by his partner’s inability to move the score along, Flower had a full swing at Agarkar and was caught at the wicket.

 

Shortly afterwards Sibanda was fortunate to escape being given out caught at the wicket by the umpire. It is possible that Patel’s excessive appealing works against him at times and umpires don’t take him seriously any more. Travis Friend, at number three, is the sort of player who moves the score along if he stays, but this time he didn’t make a run, thanks to a brilliant catch at second slip by Laxman, who threw himself far to his right to clutch a ball almost off the ground from a solid thick edge. When Sibanda (12) got a leading edge to give Lakshmipathy Balaji a well-taken return catch, Zimbabwe had slumped to 46 for three.

 

Then came the partnership that so nearly won Zimbabwe the match, at 202 the highest for the country for any wicket in a one-day international. The dashing Sean Ervine, originally expected to bat at number eight but fortunately promoted in a victory for common sense, joined the solid Carlisle, and the two of them turned the situation right around. They survived a couple of close lbw shouts and never faced a scoring rate of less than six an over, but they played magnificently.

 

Ervine was the more spectacular, with his handsome front-foot driving, while Carlisle used his feet well and worked the ball soundly around the field and mostly on the ground. Ganguly was perhaps a little too willing to sit back and wait for the batsmen to make mistakes rather than seek wickets proactively, and he became increasingly perplexed. Agarkar was his best bowler and without his fine contribution India would almost certainly have lost.

 

Ervine was first to his century, which came off 99 balls. Two deliveries later Carlisle also reached three figures, which took him 120 balls. It was his third ODI century, and all three have been in losing causes. Perhaps the batsmen were a little overcome by the thrill of reaching their landmarks, because then disaster happened. Ervine played a ball towards mid-on Ganguly, so it was his call, but Carlisle came charging down the wicket. Ervine hesitated, then ran too late and was run out for exactly 100. Zimbabwe were 248 for four, with four overs remaining.

 

The big-hitting Blignaut came in next, but both he and Streak, who followed, failed to bat with full intelligence. Boundaries were needed, but if that was not possible off any particular delivery, the important thing was to get bat to ball and look for a single. But the thought of singles was put to the back of the mind, and there was too much swinging and missing, Blignaut scoring only 3 runs off his first seven balls before he started connecting properly.

 

Carlisle did his best, but Agarkar was a handful and Carlisle drove him to mid-off to be caught for 109. This left 20 runs needed off the last two overs, with two new batsmen at the crease, both apparently programmed to go for broke rather than push singles where boundaries could not be hit. Nine were needed off the final over, entrusted to Bangar, and Laxman then effectively won the game in the field as well as with the bat, taking a superb diving catch in the deep to dismiss Blignaut for 12 off 13 balls.

 

Three balls were left. The normally reliable Streak swung and missed at one, then got a single, leaving Dion Ebrahim with the almost hopeless task of needing a six off the final delivery. He did his best, a four being superbly saved, but Zimbabwe’s poor finishing cost them the match. They were a sadder team, but were they wiser?

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 John Ward)