Date-stamped : 27 Dec96 - 22:14
Day 1 - Electronic Telegraph

Pantomime performance as England vie for role of Dopey

By Martin Johnson in Harare

THE tourist guide tells us that the literal translation of
Harare is the "city that never sleeps", and the scoreboard tells
us that among its current visitors is the cricket team that
never wakes up. As for the cricketers allegedly murdered in
Bulawayo, reports of their death appear to be a trifle
exaggerated.

It was a shame that the players decided to boycott the press's
Christmas pantomime but in the, albeit belated, spirit of
Yuletide goodwill it was a nice gesture yesterday for the
players to stage a pantomime of their own in the second Test.

You would need a pretty high-powered calculator to tot up the
number of bad England days on tour in recent years, but this
performance would be right up there with the very worst of them.

On a chronically slow pitch, but without any exaggerated lateral
movement, England's batsmen self- destructed in an orgy of
indiscipline. Having travelled around their previous venue in a
bus labelled "Bulawayo Girls High School", this one in Harare
must have been hired from St Trinians.

Zimbabwe had never previously bowled out any side for less than
147, but when bad light ended play 17 overs early, England were
a grotesque 137 for nine. John Crawley, the one batsman to play
according to the conditions, is still there on 37 not out, but
it is probably asking a bit too much for England to be saved
today by a maiden century from Philip Tufnell.

If England's objective before they came here was a pre-New
Zealand pick-me-up against feeble opposition, they now have a
job on their hands merely to avoid being giggled at all around
the cricketing world. Neither has this task been made any easier
by the preposterous utterances of their coach.

Yesterday there was a banner draped next to the main scoreboard
reading: "WANTED. David Lloyd. For Murder Of Zim Cricket Team.
Last seen with finger up his nose, talking complete * * * * * *
* *. He knows it, and we know it." Yesterday, though, the
cold-eyed assassins of Bulawayo were identifiable only by the
shotgun wounds in both feet.

On this occasion the extent of England's murderous activity
(unless you count the sheer murder of having to watch them) was
in the opening batsmen holding out until the eighth over after
Michael Atherton had lost a toss (his sixth in the last eight
Tests) he badly wanted to win.

The pitch was still moist after all the heavy rain Harare has
had in recent weeks, the outfield could not have been slower if
the game had been staged in a cornfield, and the sticky
atmosphere helped make the ball swing, but there was nothing
that application and technique should not have been able to
overcome.

Instead, we saw supposedly top-class batsmen getting out
flinging the bat at wide deliveries, as though they were
mentally still engaged in the Bulawayo run chase which had ended
on Sunday with the scores level in the first Test.

Eddo Brandes was back in the Zimbabwean line-up (as we should
have guessed when Lloyd said that he had no chance of being fit
because of his injured ankle) but it was the gentle medium-paced
swingers of Guy Whittall which caused the major damage, Whittall
finishing with figures of four for 12 in 13 overs.

David Houghton, the Zimbabwean player-coach, afterwards
described Whittall as a "partnership breaker", though where
England are concerned, it all depends what you regard as a
partnership. Yesterday Whittall broke partnerships of 26, 21, 34
and 1.

To begin with it looked as though it might not have been a bad
toss to lose. Heath Streak's new-ball spell was that of a man
who had had a few helpings too many of plum pudding, and when
Nick Knight was the first man out with the total at 24, it was
one of those unfortunate leg glances that result in a tickle to
the wicketkeeper.

The conditions were made for Atherton, but when Whittall
appeared, and quickly offered a widish half-volley, the
captain's eyes popped out like organ stops. If his feet had
moved half as much, he might have drilled it for four; instead
it resulted in an edged catch to first slip.

In the previous over Alistair Campbell had dropped a slip catch
so simple that Alec Stewart already had the bat under his arm
when the ball plopped to earth, but Stewart failed to profit by
even one more run when he drove the fast-improving Streak
straight to cover.

Poor Graham Thorpe's traumatic tour continues, snapped up at
short square leg by the man specifically posted there for him,
and it became 73 for five when Nasser Hussain played a shot
every bit as dreadful as his captain's and was caught by the
wicketkeeper diving in front of first slip.

Craig White, brought in for the unlucky Chris Silverwood, spent
an hour over his nine runs, in which his batting grew so
steadily worse that his slice to first slip was almost an act of
euthanasia.

As for the rest, Robert Croft was the third man out edging a
loose drive, Darren Gough hoiked across the line at Paul Strang,
and Alan Mullally (as he was in the one-day international) was
completely suckered by a slower ball and lobbed back a return
catch to Whittall.

Finally, while the thunder and lightning that had been going on
a few miles away all afternoon failed to make it as far as the
ground, it finally became almost as dark as the coach's
countenance. And this time Lloyd was offering no excuses.

"It was poor, what else can you say? We talked about this being
a day for graft and application, and that the danger shot was
the drive, and yet we still failed to put it into practice. The
game isn't yet irretrievable, but it's going to be uphill from
here."

In other words, England had murdered themselves.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

Day 2: The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Victory charge on hold as rain rescues England

By Jahoor Omar

Zimbabwe's victory charge was dampened by a mid-afternoon
downpour just as they were getting on top of a much-relieved
Enlgand side on the second day of the second and final cricket
Test at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Chasing England's paltry first-innings score of 156, Zimbabwe's
third-wicket pair of Grant Flower and player/coach Dave Houghon
had ground their way to 93-2 when the heavens opened up at the
start of the third and final two-hour session.

All-rounder Craig White had bowled only four deliveries when the
umpires took the players off shortly after 3 pm, but as there
was no let-up in the rain, play was finally called off an hour
later.

The unflappable Grant Flower, playing the sheet-anchor role to
perfection, was unbeaten on 33 and veteran Houghton 26 not out,
the two sharing an invaluable unbroken stand of 47 in 105
minutes.

Showing the much needed application England's batsmen lacked on
Thursday, the two Zimbabwean batsmen were slowly but surely
gaining a foothold against tidy but not penetrative bowling on a
wicket on which the ball was not getting on to the bat with much
pace.

Flower, who turned 26 eight days ago, overcame the early menace
of Darren Gough and Alan Mullally, who beat the bat on a number
of occasions, to craft a cautious innings during his 3 1/4-hour
vigil at the crease. He faced 144 balls and hit two fours but
did survive a confident appeal for a catch behind off
off-spinner Robert Croft when on 29.

It was much harder for Houghton though as the 39-year-old former
skipper had to curb his natural aggressive instincts to give his
partner fine support and take Zimbabwe to within 63 of the
England total.

The two came together after the home team had lost opener Mark
Dekker and captain Alistair Campbell with 46 on the board.  
Left-handed Dekker, who returned to the side after Stuart
Carlisle was dropped, edged Mullally to the wicket-keeper for
two in the fifth over, and Campbell (22) added 41 with Flower
before he played an injudicious cut stroke off White and gave
Graham Thorpe catching practice at first slip 18 overs later.

The England innings lasted a little longer than the Zimbabweans
wanted but end it did 42 minutes into the morning session for
156.

The 10th wicket pair of John Crawley and Phil Tufnell had added
a further 19 to the overnight score when the latter played on to
Heath Streak in the fourth over with the new ball.

Tufnell made nine, leaving first Test century maker Crawley
unbeaten on 47 off 172 balls in 220 minutes with three fours.

Streak and Guy Whittall took four wickets apiece: the former
finishing with 4-43 off 24.1 overs and the latter a Test best
4-18 off 16 overs.

Source:: The Herald (Harare) 28 December 1996. 
Reproduced with permission.

Day 2 report Electronic Telegraph

Zimbabwe inch forward

By Martin Johnson in Harare

AT LAST some good news. English cricket is in safe hands, and an
unbeatable team is now only a matter of time. Having arranged a
tour to Zimbabwe in the middle of the rainy season, the Test and
County Cricket Board will shortly announce that the Australians
will be touring England between December and March, and if that
does not ensure all six Tests ending in snowed-off draws, we
will just have to think of something else.

The board's new chief executive, Tim Lamb, is a recent arrival
here, just in time to witness the first fruits of a cunningly
planned itinerary. Zimbabwe were inexorably nudging and inching
their way towards a powerful position when Harare's near-daily
thunderstorm arrived to steal most of the final session from a
slow-scoring game that may yet run out of time.

Zimbabwe's batting yesterday was every bit as boring as
England's ought to have been on the opening day. Their scoring
rate - 93 for two from 48.4 overs - was much the same as
England's, the difference being that the home batsmen largely
declined to commit suicide on a pitch with the texture of a
Christmas pudding.

It is hard to believe that England have been playing Test
cricket since 1877, and Zimbabwe since 1992, because purely in
terms of cricketing nous, England have come a comfortable second
here so far. Scoring is so difficult that this could have been
the most tedious Test match in history. Now, if the weather
relents, England will still have it all to do if they are to
escape.

When Philip Tufnell and John Crawley put on another 19 runs in
45 minutes for the last England wicket yesterday morning,
Tufnell's 56-minute vigil at No 11 put the rest of the batting
into perspective.

Tufnell, in fact, only succumbed to the second new ball in
unlucky circumstances, a delivery from Heath Streak rebounding
off his midriff on to his off stump. "Cor blimey," reflected
Tufnell afterwards. "Me stomach's like iron after all those
bloomin' sit-ups. If it weren't for all this fitness stuff, it
wouldn't have rebounded anywhere."

Crawley finished on 47 not out, after batting for 20 minutes
short of four hours, which, given he is the in-form member of
England's top six, offers some idea of how hard it is to score.

Unlike the batsmen, England's bowlers at least gave the
impression that they had not nodded off during the pre-match
tactical talk, and kept the ball well up to the bat. This reaped
early dividends when Alan Mullally had Mark Dekker caught behind
in his third over.

Soft pitches, the sort that club cricketers play on, often
confound professional batsmen. Graft and patience are the key,
and as these are qualities that the Zimbabwean captain finds
elusive, Alistair Campbell was second out at 46, carving a Craig
White long hop to Graham Thorpe at first slip.

However, when patience is the requirement, look no further than
Grant Flower, who has so far faced 148 deliveries for his 33 not
out. Flower made 201 not out in Zimbabwe's only Test win so far,
against Pakistan, and the only wonder was that it took him less
than five days.

That Test victory, here in Harare, remains tainted by
allegations that several of the Pakistanis availed themselves of
some generous odds against the home team with a Bombay
bookmaker. There is no danger of similar charges should England
lose here, as no bookmaker in his right mind would accept a bet
of more than 50p on England's opponents, whoever they were
playing.

Flower had one skittish period, when he came down the pitch
twice in one over to hit Robert Croft over the in-field, but
otherwise remained untempted. Croft was later convinced that he
had had him caught behind for 29 down the leg side, but if
England are never given a bat-pad decision again, it could be
because of the nonsensical way they appeal.

Even David Houghton, as uncomplicated a batsman as they come,
was prepared to squeeze out his runs, like someone determined to
get one last dribble from an empty tube of toothpaste. Bored
witless though we all were, Zimbabwe's batting was as
intelligent as England's had been crass.

Finally, it was announced that Streak had been fined 15 per cent
of his match fee (about #60) for publicly declaring that
Zimbabwe had been "lucky" to get away with bowling wide in the
Bulawayo Test. Free speech is not encouraged by the
International Cricket Council, but as others are apparently
allowed to jump up and down shouting "We murdered you" without
penalty, a whip-round in the press tent raised the cash in about
10 minutes.


Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)

Day 3 report Electronic Telegraph

Atherton goes cheaply to give England jolt

By Scyld Berry

IT WAS Darren Gough's best day since the Sydney Test of his
finest hour. Not so for Mike Atherton, who saw in Zimbabwe a
land of plenty, but who has made 34 runs in this Test series and
only 153 on England's whole tour.

So it rests with Nick Knight and Alec Stewart to save England
from the ultimate degradation of being the first country to lose
a Test series to Zimbabwe, and also with John Crawley, who has
to be promoted.

Together, England's batsmen have to post a target beyond
Zimbabwe, who have no experience of conducting a successful
fourth-innings chase in a Test match: even 150 on this pitch,
like Fenner's in April, would stretch them.

Incident filled the 280 minutes of yesterday's play though only
139 runs were scored. Zimbabwe is normally the most organised of
countries, Africa made easy, but inadequate covering left the
edge of the square squelchy. Another session lost today or
tomorrow would virtually ensure a draw.

It made a change that England should have come out as a team
yesterday, in contrast to Friday when twice they took the field
as a dribble of individuals, 100 yards between Atherton and
Stewart in the lead and the stragglers. The former Australian
coach, Bobby Simpson, is available as a consultant on short-term
contracts.

A month of him in New Zealand next month might not come
amiss.Simpson could be employed in fielding drills as well, for
the majority of England's players gave away a run by some
misfield or another in this innings, often on the square.

Grant Flower took six hours over his 73, but he would have
required even longer to make as many if he had been penned in by
his own fielders. A feature of that last day in Bulawayo was how
they picked up cleanly at pace.

Another Simpson task would be to drill England in making use of
the initiative when they have it. It has been observed that
England on this tour have habitually lost the first session of
each day, but yesterday they made a big advance in it by
reducing Zimbabwe from their overnight 93 for two to 155 for
six.

The actual pattern of England's tour has been identical to that
in most of their recent cricket, especially overseas. When the
ball is in their court they can make little or nothing of it. It
is only in adversity that they start to play, when they are
spurred to find the energy and drive to make the most of them-
selves.

An element of luck was involved in England's relative comeback,
but they were due it after having several justifiable lbws
rejected on Friday. Dave Houghton was caught down the leg side
as Knight had been. Andy Flower was given out when Gough was at
his peak and a yorker was heading down the leg side, while Andy
Waller seemed to be punished for the act of shouldering arms.

The umpiring has all too often mirrored the quality of the
cricket of this series. Half a dozen full-time officials to
umpire all the Tests around the world might spare us a lot of
the 'not-outing' that is going on, and the variability of
interpretation. It might also spare us match referees who now
have to find work to do, even if it means fining players like
Heath Streak for innocuous comments.

The last over of Gough's magnificent 11-4-17-3 spell highlighted
the inadequacies. An unreachable ball as Gough tired was not
called wide, though it has to be said that the wide-calling -
even at Bulawayo - has otherwise been consistent. Then Gough
twice twitched the collar of his shirt and ran in to deliver his
slower ball. Stewart and his two slips moved forward in
response, and K T Francis from square leg called "dead ball" for
unfair play.

There appears to be a difference in interpretation and
convention between Asian and other umpires on a question of
movement behind the batsman's back as the ball is delivered.
Shakoor Rana was making the same sort of complaint at Faisalabad
in 1987, though to accuse Mike Gatting of cheating was de trop.
In other parts of the world the old-fashioned courtesy has died,
and it is up to the non-striker, not the umpire, to warn the
batsman of any surreptitious goings-on.

After tea Grant Flower lofted a boundary over mid-off to give
his team a first-innings lead over England for the first time,
some spectators wondering why they had taken so long. But Gough
was back, after little more than half an hour's break and still
bending nobly to his task. Flower, dogged to the last, clipped
his inswinger to midwicket diving forward.

By now, however, Paul Strang was becoming the first batsman in
the match to play strokes with any ease. The pace of field and
pitch might have quickened in the afternoon sun, and the England
effort slowed in the heat, but it was still impish, sharp-witted
cricket by Strang who, as near to being guaranteed a Test place
for 10 years as anyone can be, should finish with the Test
record to rival the leading all-rounders.

The Strang-Streak partnership gradually established a lead that
was all too reminiscent of the Richardson-Adams stand that
turned the Cape Town Test one year ago. Craig White, dropping
short as he can do even when in full practice, conceded 10 runs
off one over, the most expensive of the match to date.

It was astonishing that England should have picked White ahead
of Silverwood, a just-short-of-a-length, make-them-play bowler
surely made for this wicket. Yet it was even more astonishing
that David Lloyd, in his preceding breath, should have accused
Zimbabwe of being defensive and playing for a draw on a soaked
pitch, when England's selection was no less cautious.

Gough had to be taken off to rest, as Cork was at the crisis in
Port Elizabeth. Phil Tufnell kept the city end going - and,
along with beer, the England supporters there assembled - but
could not break the tail, and Robert Croft was targeted as the
bowler to hit, before nipping in to clear up.

It is conceivable that two finger spinners will do the business
in a Test, but not for a long time have a pair done so in
match-winning time: England could have done with a specialist
third seamer and Jack Russell, who would be a devil to dig out
were he on hand today.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)


Day 4 report - Electronic Telegraph

Stewart's gallant century duty hands England hint of victory

By Martin Johnson


ENGLAND spend so many Test matches digging in for survival that
one of these days there will be a dressing-room outbreak of
trench foot. Still, they have at least made a decent fist of
this latest rearguard action, and there is still the remote
chance that sometime today they can call off the foot soldiers
and whistle up the cavalry.

No side gets more practice than England at attempting to save
Test matches, and ever since the second morning, a combination
of circumstances and a porridge-like, stroke-inhibiting pitch
has made this resemble a First World War battlefield. A fight to
the death for a square inch of ground. Yesterday's award for
gallantry went to Alec Stewart, with a mention in dispatches for
Graham Thorpe, who for most of this tour has been mentally out
to lunch. It finally required a Grade A crisis to bring
something out of him, and his 50 not out was chiselled from deep
inside his memory bank.

However, it was Stewart's ninth Test century, and his first as a
wicketkeeper, for which England, and more particularly their
captain, will be deeply indebted. It is doubtful whether Michael
Atherton could have survived a series defeat against Zimbabwe,
but now Stewart has opened up the remote possibility of a
victory.

England, who began the fourth day 42 runs behind with nine
second-innings wickets remaining, now begin the fifth 136 runs
ahead with seven wickets still intact. A final twist to a Test
match that has been both grimly absorbing and excruciatingly
attritional (the scoring rate has only rarely staggered above
two runs an over) cannot yet be ruled out.

The manner of Stewart reaching his century, two crashing
boundaries off consecutive deliveries from Henry Olonga, was by
no means unfamiliar for such a dashing strokeplayer, but the
rest of his innings was six-and-a-half hours of manful
self-denial. He reached three figures on his 259th delivery
while Thorpe's half-century came up from 164 balls and
three-and-a- quarter hours.

The other remarkable aspect yesterday was a very nearly full
day's play. Harare's nightly thunderstorm prevented any play
before lunch on Saturday, thanks mainly to a faulty tarpaulin,
but despite the fact that the pavements were once again running
faster than Victoria Falls at sun-up yesterday, play began on
time.

The humidity made the damp outfield a good place for steaming
vegetables, and also helped the ball swing - though not as much
as it had wobbled through the air on Saturday, when a fine
performance from Darren Gough (partly assisted by some eccentric
umpiring) helped England keep Zimbabwe's first-innings lead down
to a manageable 59. It would have been even less but for one of
the most enterprising innings of the match from Paul Strang, who
came in when Zimbabwe still trailed by 18 with only four wickets
intact.

Strang, who made 47 not out, is a decent batsman, a
fast-improving leg-spinner, and a wonderful fielder. Good
credentials, one would think, for an overseas-player contract in
England in the not too distant future.

Gough passed 50 Test wickets during his four for 40 from 26
overs, his half-century coming up when the barnacle-encrusted
Grant Flower (73 in five minutes short of six hours) chipped a
catch to short midwicket. A less savoury moment for Gough,
however, involved Atherton sneakily changing his field during
the bowler's run-up, and umpire K D Francis calling "dead ball"
under Law 42 (unfair play).

Atherton's third-ball dismissal on Saturday evening provided
further evidence of a (hopefully temporarily) flawed technique,
largely through poor footwork. He won't make excuses, but his
bad back may be the cause. However, he now has only 150 runs
from 10 innings in Zimbabwe, and captaining a side when you are
not scoring runs (as Graham Gooch found in India in 1993 when he
made only 47 from two Tests) makes a difficult job even harder.

England's task yesterday morning was not made any easier either
by a newspaper report alleging that Ian Botham had talked about
"not letting this lot drag down my reputation" - later denied in
a televised kiss-and-make-up interview with David Lloyd, the
coach.

Lloyd himself had been in hot water with his employers for
conduct unbecoming in Bulawayo, which led to speculation when he
(along with the rest of the players) was introduced to President
Robert Mugabe during luncheon. Did Lloyd say: "Please to meet
you, sir" or "We flippin' murdered you, and you know it"?

However, if these off-the-field contretemps had upset England's
mental equilibrium, it did not show, as Stewart and Nick Knight
ground it out against good new-ball bowling from Eddo Brandes
and Heath Streak. Brandes has still to take a wicket in this
match, which is a gross injustice, though he almost picked up
Thorpe for 37 when Strang just failed to bring off what would
have been a brilliant one-handed catch at cover.

Knight made only seven runs in the first hour, though he finally
got going when Olonga joined the attack. Olonga has a
fierce-looking run-up (which starts almost in the members'
dining-room) but on this pitch, he might just as well have been
using a scotch egg.

The second-wicket pair had batted almost through to lunch when
Knight (134 minutes for 30) got a thick edge off Strang, which
rebounded to first slip off the wicketkeeper's pad. Nasser
Hussain made only six off 37 balls before driving Strang low to
cover, and with Thorpe coming in just after lunch, England were
only 30 runs to the good.

While Stewart continued to look in quiet command, Thorpe
scratched and pottered like a nervous nightwatchman. He, too,
went for the hook when he got a short one, but, unlike Stewart,
rarely did so with his eyes open. One off Brandes went straight
up in the air, but plopped safely between two fielders.

Stewart became the highest Test scorer in 1996 during his
innings and by stumps he and Thorpe had put on 106 priceless
runs. England should at least be safe from defeat, but past
experience warns against putting too much money on it.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)


<END> Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)