Date-stamped : 30 Dec96 - 14:15 Reports from John Ward of the ZCU PREVIEW, 1ST DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND After the historic Test in Bulawayo, England must start the Second Test at Harare Sports Club as favourites. They have been steadily improving their form and the events of the final day in Bulawayo will be a particular spur to them to win this one. Not that it is likely to become a genuine `grudge' match; Mike Atheron, gracious and dignified at the post- Test press conference, admitted that he would have adopted the same controversial methods as Zimbabwe had the roles been reversed. Unfortunately the coach, David Lloyd, earned himself a great deal of enmity and even ridicule both in Zimbabwe and overseas by his bitter attack on the Zimbabwean tactics at the same conference. He should not be judged so harshly; he is a great character and normally a warm, humorous man and his words, spoken in the heat of the moment, were quite out of character. Nevertheless England have a particular reason to win this one. There were three changes of personnel made to the teams for this Test. England's replacement for Ronnie Irani, Craig White, will be playing in place of the unfortunate Silverwood. For Zimbabwe, Stuart Carlisle is reported to be unfit and Mark Dekker is given another chance to transfer his undoubted potential into performance at Test level, while Eddo Brandes is fit again and replaces Bryan Strang, who was not forgiven for his poor opening spell in Bulawayo, although he improved greatly later in the innings. However the weather, normally unsettled at this time of year, may well have the last word. The farmers, `dreaming of a wet Christmas', has their wish yesterday, but the cloudy skies of this morning have for the present lightened. It remains to be seen whether Harare's current wet spell has come to an end for the cricket. LUNCH, 1ST DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND Alistair Campbell's decision to send England to the wicket on winning the toss found few supporters, but at lunch his team had gone part of the way towards justifying that decision, despite the lack of real life in the pitch. The occasional ball has lifted and the bowlers have been able to move the ball laterally, but batting has not been too difficult. Nick Knight began the match brightly, with Heath Streak, still not at his best, tending to stray down the leg side, while Mike Atherton was forced for the most part to play a defensive role. However, in Brandes' third over Atherton did attempt a hook, which flew off the top edge towards Guy Whittall at fine leg. It proved a narrow escape for the England captain, as the match just cleared Whittall's head to carry for 6. Had it been Bryan Strang, considerably taller, in that position, it might have been a different story, as he proved in Bulawayo when catching Nasser Hussain. Knight it was who was first to go, though. Campbell brought on Henry Olonga to enable Streak and Brandes to change ends and his first ball, a loosener down the leg side, found Knight attempting to turn the ball off his hip and nudging a catch to the keeper. As a result, Campbell retained Olonga and Streak had to wait until later before getting another chance. Alec Stewart, settling in well at first, was lucky to snick a catch to first slip which was dropped by Campbell; however, only a few balls later the same fielder took a similar catch from the bat of Atherton. Stewart was not to last much longer; he attempted a cover drive and was well caught low down by Grant Flower in the gully off a thick edge. The two new batsmen, Hussain and Thorpe, survived to lunch without further alarms. Zimbabwe's bowlers, in a fairly humid atmos- phere, have kept the ball well pitched up to gain full advantage in the air, and have also found some movement off the pitch. Their direction has been wayward at times, and England might have done better to discrimi- nate more effectively between the good and the bad. No bowler has been outstanding, but Whittall's nippy medium-pace, although often outside off stump, has done most to keep the batsmen quiet. England will have to look to rebuild their innings with determination this afternoon. TEA, 1ST DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND With three further wickets falling during the afternoon session, England's struggle for survival has intensi- fied. Campbell has used his bowlers well, without overbowling them, and the bowlers have responded well, if not brilliantly. They have kept the ball well up to the batsmen, allowing for late movement, and the English batsmen have played some poor strokes. Thorpe was the first to go after lunch, another failure for him in recent Tests. He hit the simplest of catches to short leg, and England must be regretting their lack of a reserve batsman. Hussain, going on the drive, snicked a thick outside edge that was picked up by the wicket-keeper on the dive. Craig White, fresh from Australia, dug in for a while before Whittall did the trick again, moving the ball away from the batsman and having him caught at first slip. Crawley alone of the specialist batsmen remains, and he has generally looked comfortable, with time to play the ball, if predominantly defensive. He will need to try to take the initiative, or find very good support from one or more of his remaining partners, if England is to reach 200. STUMPS, 1ST DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE V ENGLAND When bad light stopped play prematurely, England were in deep trouble. Throughout this day, the Zimbabweans have applied themselves much more intelligently to play on this particular pitch than the English, who still don't seem to have realised that driving off the front foot is a dangerous game. Croft fell victim in the same way as many of his colleagues after sharing in the highest partnership of the innings today with Crawley, who is the one England batsman who seems to know the right game to play. Croft was superbly caught in the gully, trying to drive off the front foot. He was quickly followed by Gough, playing across the line, and then Mullally popped up the easiest return catch imaginable. Last man Tufnell had not long joined Crawley when the umpires offered the batsmen the light. Since midafternoon the sky has been heavily overcast, although the heavy rainclouds which threatened passed away just to the north of the ground. Harare Sports Club groundsman Charles Wallace says that it has not been possible to produce a fast, dry pitch due to the prevailing weather conditions. For the past two weeks the weather has been damp and, although the pitch itself has been fully covered, there has been no sun to dry out the moisture in the pitch. As a result, the ball has not been coming on to the bat properly and front-foot driving is not only difficult but hazardous. Intelligent Zimbabwean bowling, keeping the ball well up to the bat, has been met with a surprisingly inept England batting performance and they will have to produce something outstanding to take control of this match now. It is not true yet to say that the match is as good as lost on the first day, because it remains to be seen how Zimbabwe's batsmen will handle the conditions. England have a choice -- they can either throw in the towel, or they can produce a fightback worthy of the country which is the original home of cricket. Zimbabwe, for their part, have all to play for if they can grasp this wonderful opportunity. PREVIEW, 2nd DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND This could be the day that, in effect, decides the match and the series. So much will depend on Zimbabwe's first innings. They will be aiming to build up a large lead on first innings over the next two days, and then to bowl England out a second time. The sun has been shining largely unchallenged so far this morning and may have dried out the pitch considerably, making it play more easily. Whatever the situation, Zimbabwe have to master the conditions and take advantage of England's weak batting performance yesterday. England, for their part, will need to pull something special out of the bag and adjust their bowling to fit the conditions. The pressure will be greatest, perhaps, for Mark Dekker, fighting for his place in the Test team after many disappointments following his marvellous double at Rawalpindi three years ago. The left-hander prefers to bat in the middle order but is required to open in the absence of a reliable opening partner for Grant Flower, although the injured Stuart Carlisle is most likely to fill that gap. The Flower brothers, Houghton, Whittall ] and Strang have all scored Test centuries, and Campbell will be hoping to break that barrier himself. This should be a fascinating day's play, but there is always the chance that the weather could take a hand later on. LUNCH SUMMARY, 2nd DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND Zimbabwe have now embarked on their task of building a good first-innings lead over England with watchful batting. It took them 42 minutes to take the last English wicket this morning, as Crawley and Tufnell played obdurate cricket, showing that staying in is not difficult as long as the batsmen are content to defend and wait for the loose ball. Tufnell helped Crawley to his century in Bulawayo, but this time was unable to see him to fifty. He defended nobly, but in the end played a back defensive stroke to a ball from Streak, only to see the ball rebound from the outside edge on to the bottom of his off stump. Zimbabwe appeared determined to graft for their runs, which does indeed seem the only way to do it on a still moist pitch and very heavy outfield. Mark Dekker failed again; after taking a long time to get off the mark with a flick off his legs for two, he snicked a regulation catch to the keeper. He stood rooted to the crease for a few seconds, not disputing the decision but in sheer despair at another failure. Alistair Campbell looked rather uncertain at times early in his innings, but then found his timing. Apart from a close lbw decision from a ball which hit him marginally outside the line of off stump, Grant Flower looked very secure, and was confident enough just before lunch to hit two successive balls from Croft over the leg-side field for 2 and 4. Zimbabwe have a lot of batting to come and, if they apply themselves wisely, have the opportunity now to take a grip on this Test match. At present the sky is more than half covered in cloud, but these are not rain clouds -- yet. It remains to be seen whether rain or bad light will curtail play. PREVIEW, 3rd DAY, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND The unpredictability of Zimbabwe's weather in December has been well illustrated over the past two days. On Thursday, a storm which seemed imminent missed the ground completely; yesterday, just after tea, the rain came out of nowhere, looking as if it would only be a few drops at first, but then fell hard enough to wash out the cricket. Groundsman Charles Wallace, however, is indignant at reports in the press and over the BBC that water has affected the pitch, which is rock-hard, he insists. The outfield, though, will be heavier still, which will handicap Zimbabwe further as they seek to take command. The weather today was heavily overcast to begin with, but the sun has broken through and dispersed most of the clouds. Later on, anything can happen. Whatever cricket does take place today will inevitably be a continuation of the war of attrition, the only way that Zimbabwe can play if they are to dominate this match. TEA, 3rd DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156; Zimbabwe 155/6 Fine pace bowling by Darren Gough has seriously hindered Zimbabwe's attempts to take a grip on this Test, after a long afternoon session, played to make up an hour at the end of the day, weather permitting. The slow pitch and the slower outfield have given Zimbabwe no option but to keep grafting for runs, which remain hard to come by. It has been a hard struggle out there. Grant Flower has stood firm while his colleagues have fallen, in an immensely valuable innings. He has had his share of luck, as two close decisions went in his favour: yesterday a bat-pad appeal was rejected (for Rngland this may have been a case of crying wolf, after their Bulawayo appeals) and there was a very convincing lbw appeal today. Apart from these he has maintained a solid defence and chosen the odd ball to hit really hard, most notably a six over wide long-on off Tufnell. Dave Houghton battled even more slowly until Gough came on to bowl, replacing Mullally from the north, club- house end. A well-disguised slower ball had Houghton moving across his stumps and nudging a leg-side catch to the keeper. The Flower brothers ran some cheeky singles, but Andy never found his touch; he moved across his stumps to a yorker from Gough and was found right in front. Andy Waller was the only batsman dismissed who could really blame himself, padding up to Tufnell outside the off stump without playing a stroke, only to be trapped lbw by his arm ball. Guy Whittall did not last long, another fine yorker from Gough spectacularly removing his leg stump. Paul Strang, however, has looked quite equal to the occasion, and Zimbabwe do have enough batting left to take a large first-innings lead. All that remains is to put theory into practice. Most of the clouds have cleared away, but we can never consider the weather `safe'. It is still likely that play will stop short of the adjusted close of play at 6 p.m. local time. CLOSE OF PLAY REPORT, 3rd DAY, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156 and 17/1; Zimbabwe 215 After several sessions of trench-warfare cricket, the final session of the day came to life with plenty of action. The pitch appeared to be playing more easily, the atmosphere became less humid in the afternoon sun and the outfield was noticeably faster, but Paul Strang was the only Zimbabwean batsman able to take advantage of it. Strang played the most entertaining innings of the match, batting with sensible aggression and taking advantage of any loose bowling. Grant Flower did not enjoy the easier conditions for long; flicking towards midwicket, he hit a low catch straight to the fielder and deservedly received a fine ovation for an invaluable anchor innings. The later batsmen did not last long while Strang was keeping the board ticking over. Heath Streak was out to a fairly simple close catch. The spinners were now on and Eddo Brandes, never one to poke around for long, hit a big six on to the top of the awning over a covered stand at wide long-on, but was soon caught just inside the ropes attempting the same stroke. Henry Olonga, probably suffering from nerves batting in Tests, almost scored a run off the fifth ball of an over, but Strang sent him back. He was to regret this, as Olonga was immediately out to a close bat-pad catch. The significance of Zimbabwe's lead remains to be seen. There are several imponderables which will dictate the future course of play: the morale of the England team, the weather, the pitch and the outfield. The Zimbabwe bowling and fielding are more predictable and they will make England fight for it. The one English batsman proven capable of batting through a day, Mike Atherton, has already gone, feet seemingly set in concrete again as he edged a catch to first slip off Streak. Knight had almost predeceased him, as Andy Flower was convinced he had caught him down the leg side again, but the television replay confirmed it as a good decision -- the ball had flicked his hip only. England have an uphill fight on their hands and will need to prove their contention that they are by far the better team the hard way. PREVIEW, 4th DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156 and 17/1. Zimbabwe 215 This is a vital day for both teams, as the Second Test is in the balance. Zimbabwe need to keep their advantage by bowling England out cheaply a second time, leaving themselves with a comfortable target to chase in the fourth innings. For Engalnd, this day will show just what they are made of, whether they do indeed ahve the mental and intestinal resources required of Test cricketers. They will be well aware that the consequences of failure are too awful to contemplate. To many English journalists, the Zimbabwean team seems to be rated as little more than a motley collection of useful club cricketers and, should England lose, the amount of malice and ridicule heaped on them will break all records. The shame will be considered overwhelming, and few are likely to consider that perhaps they were wrong to start with and Zimbabwe really can play after all. No wonder England so often underperform and many of their players are so suspicious and seemingly unsociable. With supporters like these, who needs enemies? At least the Barmy Army is on their side -- but that could be a mixed blessing. But all speculation is dependent on the weather. The sky is largely overcast at present, but the clouds are mostly white and light. There is no way of safely predicting what the weather will do later in the day. There was a bit of overnight rain, but not enough for even the reluctant England management to make a fuss about the playing conditions. LUNCH, 4th DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156 and 79/2. Zimbabwe 215 By lunch time, Zimbabwe had lost quite a bit of their advantage in this match. England went in at the interval, in effect, 20 for two, but looking quite solid. The Zimbabwe bowlers early this morning were too inaccurate and did not put the English batsmen under enough pressure. Streak especially was disappointing, bowling too many loose deliveries and failing to look the world-class bowler he is. His injury on the tour to Sri Lanka, some think, may still have a psychological effect on him, as he has not bowled as consistently well as usual this season. Nick Knight and Alec Stewart batted sensibly, simply waiting for the right ball and dispatching it. Stewart especially looked very sound and kept the score moving; he was well ahead of Knight until the latter climbed into Henry Olonga and hit him for 12 in an over. He was to regret this, however, as Olonga was replaced by Strang, who quickly dismissed him. Knight appeared to misread the googly, which took the outside edge and lobbed to Alistair Campbell, rather wide at slip. Guy Whittall again slowed dwon the scoring rate and in fact bowled 7 overs for just three runs. His sharpish medium-pace often strays well outside the off stump, but his straight deliveries England find very difficult to put away. He and Strang could well spend most of the afternoon (weather permitting) bowling, as the three pacemen have been disappointing. The sky is still very cloudy and rain may well come this afternoon; we have perhaps been fortunate to play out the morning session without any. Zimbabwe will need to strike quite quickly to keep their victory hopes alive. TEA, 4th DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156 and 137/3; Zimbabwe 215 Zimbabwe continued to struggle in their quest for victory, taking only one further wicket in the afternoon session. Their bowling was rather better, although Campbell did persist with Brandes and Streak for a long time from the city end; neither made an impression, and eventually he turned to Whittall again. Paul Strang bowled unchanged throughout the session from the north end. England, despite their expressed conviction that they are much the better team, are not making much effort to build a big score quickly and bowl Zimbabwe out a second time -- although it cannot be said that Zimbabwe are safe from defeat. England were again content just to occupy the crease and take runs as they came. Stewart, who had a couple of fairly close escapes just after lunch, was not so assertive, but is still there. He reached his fifty with a snick along the ground past the slips for four. Hussain, who on this tour has been a mixture of the very good and the indifferent, did not last long, driving a hard low catch to mid-off. The out-of-form Thorpe has hung in there and must be hoping that this innings will pull him out of his trough. England are now 78 ahead. If Zimbabwe can bowl them out before lunch tomorrow and leave themselves about 200 or less to win, they will still have a chance of victory -- although there will still be a chance of defeat too. The weather remains overcast, though, and another heavy downpour would certainly condemn this fascinating match to a draw. STUMPS, 4TH DAY TEST 2, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND England 156 and 195/3; Zimbabwe 215. This match had slipped further out of Zimbabwe's grasp by the close, but it wasn't their fault. There is no entry in the Wisden record section for unluckiest teams, but if there were Zimbabwe would certainly be high on the list after this session. In a remarkable sequence of events, the two English batsmen, Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe, enjoyed one fortuitous escape after another, with Eddo Brandes being the main sufferer. Brandes bowled a superb seven- over spell of fast-medium bowling after tea, and did remarkably well to keep his composure. The batsmen played and missed, beaten all ends up, they popped catches wide of the fielders, each offered a difficult chance which was put down, and the umpires proved reluctant to rule close decisions in Zimbabwe's favour. During the first hour after tea especially, England might have lost a wicket on about ten occasions, but Zimbabwe finished the session with nothing and the batsmen passed their respective century and fifty. Zimbabwe deserved better than this, and their misfortune has probably ruined their chance of victory. The English newspapers tomorrow may be full of such headlines as "Streak stops Streak", after an incident just before the close. Heath Streak was stopped in his run-up by the umpire after a streaker ran on to the field and then off again, and two security guards ran in front of the sightscreen in their attempt to apprehend him. They proved more fortunate in their efforts than the Zimbabwe players were in theirs. Tomorrow the likeliest result is a draw, especially if the rain which has been threatening all day finally arrives. The ground won't take too much more rain, and we may not be lucky another day. Day 5 was abandoned due to a sodden outfield. Contributed by John.Ward (ZCU)