|
|
|
| September 22, 2005 | Thursday | Sha'aban 17, 1426 |
Zimbabwe battle for survival
HARARE, Sept 21: A career best display by pace bowler Heath Streak was not enough to leave Zimbabwe facing another innings defeat by India after the second day of the second and final Test on Wednesday.
Streak took a career best six wickets for 73 — the fourth best by any Zimbabwe bowler in Test cricket — but his performance aside there was little cheer for Zimbabwe.
India scored 366 in their first innings, which ended in the third session of the second day, a lead that gave them a 205 runs advantage over Zimbabwe’s 161.
In the last hour Zimbabwe produced yet another batting collapse and at the close were shattered after scraping together a miserable 39-4, still 166 runs adrift of making India bat again.
India now need to get Zimbabwe out for 206 runs or fewer Thursday.
Streak bowled with unusual pace and he tested the India batsmen throughout their innings.
In a fruitful partnership with Blessing Mahwire, Streak kept India pegged down throughout a slow day.
The tourists, resuming on a cosy 195-1, managed only another 171 runs, symbolised by Rahul Dravid, whose 98 required 273 balls. He was out two runs short of a 21st century.
The Indian innings was characterised by a hard struggle to accumulate runs.
It took them well over two sessions to take their score uncertainly up to 366 all out.
Gautam Gambhir and Dravid had gone to the wicket with 120 already having been made for the second wicket.
But Gambhir, from his personal contribution of 95, made only two more runs and missed out on a second century, Vangipurappu Laxman scored only eight.
Ganguly batted with little urgency for his 16 off 50 balls before he edged debutant Waddington Mwayenga to wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu, a dismissal that will increase the pressure on the left-hander who has been off form since last year.
Irfan Pathan took over the mantle from Dravid and made 32.
It was Zimbabwe’s day, or more specifically Streak’s, until the last hour or so when they again went to into rapid and dismal batting decline.
Left-armers Pathan and Zaheer Khan then joined forces to destroy Zimbabwe’s top order, reducing the hosts to 21 for four.
Pathan once again found considerable swing and finished the day with two for 25 and match figures of nine for 84.
The pressure was once again too great for the Zimbabwe top order, who were bamboozled by the swing.
Terrence Duffin (10), Dion Ebrahim (3) and Taibu (1) all edged strokes outside off stump to be caught behind the wicket, while Brendan Taylor (4) was adjudged leg-before to Pathan to a short-pitched delivery that always looked to be going over the wicket.
Hamilton Masakadza, on 11, and Streak, on six, were able to take Zimbabwe through to the close without further loss.
SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE (1st Innings) 161 (Irfan Pathan 7-59).
INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 195-1):
G. Gambhir c Taibu b Mahwire 97
V. Sehwag c Taibu b Streak 44
R. Dravid b Mahwire 98
V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Streak 8
S. Ganguly c Taibu b Mwayenga 16
Yuvraj Singh b Streak 25
K.K.D. Karthik b Streak 1
Irfan Pathan c Coventry b Streak 32
A. Kumble c Ebrahim b Streak 8
Harbhajan Singh not out 13
Zaheer Khan c Taibu b Blignaut 3
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-11, NB-8) 21
Total (all out, 108 overs, 463mins) 366
FALL OF WKTS: 1-75, 2-198, 3-219, 4-245, 5-306, 6-306, 7-318, 8-342, 9-361.
BOWLING: Streak 32-10-73-6; Mahwire 26-5-86-2; Mwayenga 21-6-79-1 (6nb); Blignaut 20-1-80-1 (2nb); Dabengwa 9-1-35-0.
ZIMBABWE (2nd Innings):
B.R.M. Taylor lbw b Pathan 4
T. Duffin c Dravid b Pathan 10
D.D. Ebrahim c Yuvraj b Zaheer 3
H. Masakadza not out 11
T. Taibu c Kumble b Zaheer 1
H.H. Streak not out 6
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-1, W-1) 4
TOTAL (for four wkts, 17 overs) 39
FALL OF WKTS: 1-13, 2-18, 3-18, 4-21.
BOWLING (to-date): Irfan Pathan 8-1-25-2; Zaheer Khan 8-3-9-2 (1w); Harbhajan Singh 1-0-2-0.—Agencies
|
|
|
|
