THE best match of the triangular series came towards the end of the championship. For Zimbabwe it was too late in the day as it finished with four defeats in as many matches. For the West Indies, it was a victory which came on expected lines and put the team in the final. A pity that the result in this match left the last league game between India and the West Indies redundant.
"I was pleased with the batters, but the bowlers did not measure up to the expectations," said the West Indies skipper Carl Hooper. He was referring to the performance of Mahendra Nagamootoo, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds and himself as they conceded 133 runs between them in 20 overs. The trio of Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon and and Corey Collymore bowled 30 overs and conceded 118 runs to keep the opposition under pressure to experiment.
"We just about managed to squeeze through. Our bowling was poor and so was the fielding. But the good thing was that we managed to chase 250-plus," remarked Hooper.
Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak paid tributes to his frontline bowlers and to the pair of Grant Flower and Craig Wishart. "They batted extremely well and gave us a chance to think of victory. Their partnership really pulled us back into the game but the injury to Brian Murphy was a big factor too. We didn't bowl at our best," he said.
The last-over finish, with the West Indies reaching the target off the penultimate ball, was just what the spectators deserved after the preceding matches had failed to give them their money's worth.
"We allowed the run-rate to get too high, but fortunately we played better towards the end. We had to get on with the game and I managed to do that. Just the thing to do at that stage. We don't have the depth in our squad and we try to play to our best strength. It's been good this far," said Hooper.
It was a perfect exhibition of limited overs cricket as this contest had everything to make it a thriller. "It was a tight finish and I'm sure the spectators would've enjoyed the match," said Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak.
The spectators did enjoy the match. The Zimbabwean struggle at the start was followed by a splendid recovery scripted by a fluent knock by Grant Flower with excellent support from Wishart and Guy Whittall. But the Zimbabweans threw away the advantage with some uncharacteristic fielding errors and allowed the West Indies to stage a recovery which ultimately resulted in a five-wicket win.
Zimbabwe had to win this match to stay in contention but the home team crashed out despite having improved upon its earlier performances in the one-day series. The batsmen came good at the right time but the bowling lacked the firepower to exploit the situation.
The absence of Murphy was a blow. "It counted ultimately that we were one bowler short. He could have contributed in the middle overs," said Streak. A muscle injury left Murphy a mere spectator and Alistair Campbell was not an ideal substitute even though the latter tried gamely to give his best as an off-spinner.
In hindsight, there was an error on the field which did count in the end. Substitute David Mutendera needlessly had a shy at the striker's end and the resultant overthrow fetched the West Indies four valuable runs. The fielders were livid at the way the opposition gained from Mutendera, who left the field immediately. It was not a deliberate act but it did prove costly of course. "We made quite a few mistakes in our fielding," Streak admitted.
Zimbabwe did extremely well to recover from the early loss of Campbell, Stuart Carlisle and Dion Ebrahim. The innings was steadied by a determined Grant Flower, who came in for praise from his skipper. "Grant's commitment was total and he was a big inspiration for the team," commented Streak.
Two partnerships made up the Zimbabwean total, which was quite defendable. The West Indians displayed a lot of caution in their planning and once again Chris Gayle showed the way with a disciplined innings. It may have been a trifle slow but then it suited the needs of the team. The start was solid.
Gayle and Darren Ganga batted sensibly and then Wavell Hinds produced a neat knock which raised the hopes of the West Indians. Even if the target was not modest, it was clear that the West Indians were aiming to pace their chase with emphasis on keeping the crucial wickets in hand for a late assault.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was out hit-wicket while going for a big heave. It was strange that the batsman chose to wait for the third umpire to decide. The Zimbabweans were upset at the West Indian staying on before the red bulb flashed to signal his departure.
There were moments of excitement when Hinds and then Hooper got out. Zimbabwe sensed a good chance for a win but Ridley Jacobs and Marlon Samuels finished the job amidst mounting tension. The win shut the door on Zimbabwe. It was a disappointing day for the home fans. The turn out at the Queen's Sports Club was in keeping with the occasion. Only the end result did not meet their desire.
The scores:Zimbabwe: A. Campbell c Gayle b Cuffy 17; D. Ebrahim c Jacobs b Cuffy 1; S. Carlisle c Gayle b Collymore 4; C. Wishart c Collymore b Dillon 71; G. Flower c Nagamootoo b Dillon 94; G. Whittall (not out) 39; A. Blignaut (not out) 12. Extras (b-4, lb-6, nb-2, w-5) 17. Total (for five wkts in 50 overs) 255.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-9, 3-27, 4-153, 5-234.
West Indies bowling: Cuffy 10-0-30-2, Collymore 10-0-42-1, Dillon 10-0-46-2, Hooper 9-0-48-0, Nagamootoo 5-0-32-0, Samuels 5-0-36-0, Hinds 1-0-11-0.
West Indies: D. Ganga (run out) 34; C. Gayle c Blignaut b G. Flower 76; W. Hinds c Taibu b Streak 54; S. Chanderpaul hit wkt. b Campbell 24; C. Hooper c Carlisle b G. Flower 24; R. Jacobs (not out) 22; M. Samuels (not out) 6. Extras (lb-8, nb-1, w-9) 18. Total (for five wkts in 49.5 overs) 258.
Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-137, 3-177, 4-205, 5-237.
Zimbabwe bowling: Streak 9.5-0-52-1, B. Strang 10-0-40-0, Blignaut 10-0-51-0, G. Flower 10-0-46-2, Campbell 9-0-48-1, Whittall 2-0-13-0.
THE Man of the Match award for Grant Flower was a small consolation for a big effort. His innings of 94 was just the tonic Zimbabwe needed, but it failed to help the team win its last league match, in Bulawayo.
Grant Flower's run of scores in the series read 29, 4, 45, 94. He peaked at the right time and was certainly disappointed at ending up loser. "It was obviously very disappointing. You always want the team to do better than yourself. It doesn't help if you do well and the team doesn't. I was quite happy with my form. Getting a few runs and a few wickets," said Grant Flower.
For Grant Flower, the key to success lay in adapting. "I think you should be good enough to do well in both forms of cricket these days. You play so much one-day cricket and if you're from a bigger cricket nation then you play a lot of Tests too. So you should be good enough to play both," he noted.
Grant Flower admitted he felt the pressure batting in the middle-order. "There's always pressure batting in the middle-order. To survive and get the innings going. You lose wickets and the pressure builds around you. You got to rebuild the innings. Especially when you play for Zimbabwe. It doesn't matter whether you bowl or bat. There's always this pressure. I enjoy this pressure because it often gets the best out of me," he said.
With a century for the asking, Grant Flower did not play for individual distinction, getting out in trying a big hit. He stated candidly, "when Dave Houghton was coach we were given some game plans. And those game plans said the personal milestones should never get in your way. And that's what I thought. It was a short boundary and I was hitting the ball well. I thought I could clear it."
Chipping in with his left-arm spin, Grant Flower saw a role for himself but was humble in his self analysis as a bowler. "To be honest I feel I'm just a fill-in bowler but I enjoy my bowling. If it's going all right there's no harm in making use of it. I'm an average bowler. I don't really turn the ball."
Reflecting on the series, Grant Flower said, "I think we'd some good moments in the series, but to tell you the truth, as a team we didn't deserve to be in the final.
"Look at this game. We had a bad start but we got a very good total in the end. And I think it was a very defendable total. We made some schoolboy errors on the field and in the bowling. We just didn't deserve to win the game we should've won."
If Grant Flower sounded angry, he was justified. All his brilliant efforts with the bat had proved futile.
Comments
SHARE