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PERTH, Oct 12: World champions Australia, poised to crush minnows Zimbabwe by an innings in the first Test here, will have to wait one more day to complete victory after rain severely curtailed play late on Sunday.
Heavy showers just after tea sent players scurrying from the field with Zimbabwe hanging on by a thread, with 247 for nine wickets in their second innings — still 249 runs behind Australia’s first innings 735 for six wickets declared.
After a 73-minute delay, play was resumed for 11.3 overs before further rain brought a halt with Zimbabwe 272 for nine — 224 runs in arrears.
Last-wicket pair, skipper Heath Streak (42 not out) and Ray Price (17 not out) defiantly held up Australia for 47 minutes to force the match into a fifth and final day on Monday.
Following on 496 runs behind, Zimbabwe nosedived to 126 for seven before the lower-order showed commendable fight.
Australia dismissed the tourists for a first innings 239.
Further rain is forecast for Monday.
The home team coasted to the brink of victory despite the absence of two front-line bowlers — Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill.
Both were injured on Saturday.
Fast bowler Gillespie has a torn muscle in his left side and MacGill a torn muscle in his right calf.
In the pair’s absence, fast bowler Andy Bichel (3-55) and seldom-used left-arm spinner Darren Lehmann (3-54) did the job.
Zimbabwe’s innings disintegrated in the morning, with five wickets crashing for 16 runs, after Mark Vermeulen (63) and Stuart Carlisle (35) had carried the side to 110 for two with a third-wicket stand of 99 which raised hopes of a big total.
The only other Zimbabwe batsmen to show any touch were left-hander Sean Ervine and Streak.
Ervine stroked an attractive 53 (seven fours, one six) from 98 balls in just under two hours — his top score in six innings in three Tests.
Ervine and Streak added a fighting 83 for the eighth wicket to give the tourists a modicum of respectability as the remorseless Australians continued to stay firmly on top even with seriously depleted resources.
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 735-6 declared (M.L. Hayden 380, A.C. Gilchrist 113 not out, S.R. Waugh 78, D.R. Martyn 53; S.M. Ervine 4-146).
ZIMBABWE (1st Innings) 239 (T.R. Gripper 53).
ZIMBABWE (2nd Innings, overnight 87-2):
D.D. Ebrahim b Gillespie 4
T.R. Gripper c Gilchrist b Gillespie 0
M.A. Vermeulen c Gilchrist b Lee 63
S.V. Carlisle c Hayden b Lehmann 35
C.B. Wishart lbw b Bichel 8
C.N. Evans b Lehmann 5
T. Taibu c Gilchrist b Bichel 3
S.M. Ervine b Bichel 53
H.H. Streak not out 42
A.M. Blignaut st Gilchrist b Lehmann 22
R.W. Price not out 17
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-6, W-5, NB-5) 20
TOTAL (for nine wkts, 105 overs) 272
FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-11, 3-110, 4-112, 5-118, 6-126, 7-126, 8-209, 9-247.
BOWLING (to-date): Lee 28-6-70-1; Gillespie 3-0-6-2; MacGill 3.4-1-10-0; Bichel 22-11-55-3; Lehmann 26.2-12-54-3; Martyn 10-3-26-0; Waugh 7-1-26-0; Ponting 5-1-15-0.—AFP/Reuters
