3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v South Africa at Harare, 30 Sep 2001 CricInfo Live Report

3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v South Africa at Harare, 30 Sep 2001
John Ward

Pre-game: Toss,
Zimbabwe innings: 25 overs, Innings,
South Africa innings: 25 overs,

SOUTH AFRICAN RUN CHASE CHECKED BY UMPIRE

Two controversial umpiring decisions ruined South Africa's impetus as they looked like running away with the third one-day international against Zimbabwe, chasing 184.

Zimbabwe's bowling opened in a way sadly appropriate to the way they had performed throughout the tour: two leg-side wides by Travis Friend, followed by five more runs in the opening over, and 17 runs in his second over as Boeta Dippenaar and Herschelle Gibbs enjoyed themselves.

Promising Friend may be, but when his inaccurate deliveries get hit all over the field in match after match and his captain relieves him with figures if 2-0-24-0, one wonders what the selectors are thinking of. Their policy of pace over accuracy and youth over experience has been an abject failure when South Africa are the opposition.

By way of contrast, Gary Brent at the other end found line and length from the start, but Mluleki Nkala was little better than Friend at first, conceding 15 runs in his first over as the batsmen happily plundered everything astray. The fifty came up in the sixth over, but then Nkala settled down and the batsmen had to work harder.

Then came the two controversial lbw decisions by umpire Mumtiaz Esat. Gibbs fell controversially for 39, well down the pitch, while the tall Justin Kemp (1) was given his marching orders when struck by a rising ball above the roll of the pad, both to Nkala.

Then Dippenaar (22) was also given out lbw, this time to Brent and adjudged by Graeme Evans, but the television appeared to confirm this decision as probably correct.

Neil McKenzie and Justin Ontong dug in grimly, while Brent finished an excellent ten overs on the trot with one for 22. After 25 overs South Africa were 98 for three (McKenzie 10, Ontong 17).

ZIMBABWE SET SOUTH AFRICA MODEST TARGET IN THIRD ONE-DAYER

Zimbabwe wasted the advantage of winning the toss with an over-cautious approach and could only total 184 for six in the third One-Day international perhaps indicative of an inferiority complex when playing their powerful South African neighbours.

This should prove a simple target for the South Africans, who are likely to wrap up the one-day series with three overwhelming victories.

Andy Flower, under pressure to score quickly, scored only 4 before he tried to hit Henderson over the top and was well caught overhead by the leaping Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket. Carlisle finally reached his fifty off 96 balls, but then holed out to long-off off Justin Ontong for 51. Zimbabwe were now a mere 118 for four in the 38th over.

Dion Ebrahim and Grant Flower tried to make up for lost time, but with mixed results and many swings and misses. Ebrahim was eventually run out for 41 attempting a desperate second, with the score 172 for five in the 48th over.

The fielder was Boeta Dippenaar, who had a fine day on the boundary and finished it by catching Grant Flower off the final ball of the innings for 27.

SLOW GOING AS SOUTH AFRICA TIE DOWN ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe made a painfully slow start to their innings in the third One-Day Internation in Harare, when probably their only chance of beating South Africa, given the limitations of their bowling, would have been to build a big total quickly. After 25 overs they had only 75 on the board for the loss of two wickets.

Alistair Campbell went in with his third opening partner in as many matches, Hamilton Masakadza, who is still struggling in one-day cricket. He made 5 before being trapped lbw by Justin Kemp, who opened the bowling with Shaun Pollock.

Campbell and Stuart Carlisle then became bogged down against good bowling and superb fielding, and after 13 overs the score was only 25, with Pollock conceding just nine runs off six overs. Then the arrival of the second-string bowlers enabled the batsmen to score a little more freely.

The fifty came up in the 20th over, and Campbell was finally beginning to open up when Claude Henderson bowled him through the gate for 40 off 77 balls in the 24th over.

ZIMBABWE BAT FIRST IN FINAL ONE-DAYER

Same weather, same Zimbabwean team, but a different pitch as the third and final One-Day International against South Africa got underway at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday morning.

The Zimbabweans went into this match hoping it would not be the same cricket. They have played well below their best throughout this tour, especially in the bowling department, and only in the Bulawayo Test were able as a team to cause the South Africans any trouble.

Two-nil down and in this 'dead match' of the one-day series, they had a last chance to give the tourists something to remember them by.

Remarkably, Zimbabwe made no changes to their losing team when they could well have given some youngsters experience or gambled on the pace of Henry Olonga, bowling well in the nets.

South Africa did take that opportunity, bringing in Boeta Dippenaar, Justin Ontong and Justin Kemp in place of Gary Kirsten, Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini.

Zimbabwe won the toss for the first time and decided to bat, which could prove to be an advantage on a pitch that was wearing the day before. Whether they would be able to take advantage of it was another matter.

The teams were as follows:

Zimbabwe: Alistair Campbell, Dion Ebrahim, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Carlisle, +Andy Flower, Grant Flower, *Guy Whittall, Mluleki Nkala, Paul Strang, Travis Friend, Gary Brent.

South Africa: Herschelle Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Justin Kemp, Lance Klusener, +Mark Boucher, *Shaun Pollock, Justin Ontong, Claude Henderson.