da apostebet： Thanks to the letdown by Australia, the Zimbabwe season of 2001/02 draws toa close this weekend
John Ward19-Apr-2002Thanks to the letdown by Australia, the Zimbabwe season of 2001/02 draws toa close this weekend. Mashonaland, having won all four of their matches,were aiming to complete a clean sweep of victories for the second successiveyear, but still needed to collect 16 points from this match to overtakeMidlands and retain the Logan Cup. By the close of the first day they werewell on their way, having dismissed the Academy for a rather spiritless 122and then scored 116 for three themselves.Gus Mackay, captaining Mashonaland, won the toss and put the Academy in tobat, proving once again that God is on the side of the big battalions.There had been a lot of rain during the previous week and the pitch hadtaken a soaking, although it did not give the bowlers as much help as hadbeen expected.Mashonaland opening bowlers Brighton Watambwa and Gus Mackay did not forcethe batsmen to play the ball often enough, and tended to pitch too shortduring their opening overs, allowing Charles Coventry and Neeten Chouhan tosurvive and gradually open out. They were beaten several times but thebowlers were unable to apply the consistent pressure required. Scoring wasnot easy on the heavy outfield, and as usual at Country Club there was noscoreboard worthy of the name.The opening pair scored a useful 37 together before Coventry (14) droveMackay into the covers and was smartly picked up off his toes by WaddingtonMwayenga, younger brother of Academy player Allan. This began a collapse:Innocent Chinyoka quickly followed, playing a ball from Mackay on to hisstumps via the inside edge. Stuart Matsikenyeri (5), returned from aprosperous club season in Australia, was lbw to an off-cutter from Mackayand captain Andre Hoffman (0) snicked Mwayenga to the keeper. Worse was tocome, as Conan Brewer (0) slashed the same bowler seemingly wide of gully,only for the giant Craig Evans to leap to his left and pluck a brilliantone-handed catch out of the air. The Academy were in deep trouble at 45 forfive.Opener Chouhan was still there, and Tom Benade settled in to partner himwith resolution until being caught at slip off the medium-pace of Evans for3. Piet Rinke looked calm and comfortable, and almost on the stroke oflunch leg-glanced Evans for the first boundary of the match.The return of Mackay after lunch soon ended Chouhan’s commendable vigil,trapped right in front of his stumps for 37. Barrett followed next ballwithout scoring, unlucky to be adjudged lbw after edging the ball on to hispads. This brought to an end a possibly unique record; he had hit at leastone six in each of his first six first-class innings.Rinke (19) quickly followed to a soft dismissal, caught in the covers off aleading edge, but the last pair, Sherezad Shah and Jordane Nicolle, showedup their seniors in the batting order with some sound batting. They needed12 to take the team total to three figures, and then added another 22 beforeNicolle was trapped lbw sweeping at Rogers.Nicolle scored 20 and Shah 14 not out, and the ease with which these twohandled the bowling put the entire innings into perspective. The pitch wasnot a serious problem, the bowling apart from Mackay at times not undulyhostile, but few of the batsmen had shown much fight.The Academy soon struck back, as Nicolle bowled a vicious leg-cutter to bowlLance Malloch-Brown for 2 in the first over. Then, just before tea, he hadTrevor Gripper (9) well caught low down by Matsikenyeri in the gully.After the interval, Rogers and Dion Ebrahim responded to the situation bydigging in deep, the runs slowing to a trickle. They added just 24 in thehour until drinks, after which Rogers began to open up until he ran himselfout for 42. Craig Evans hardly knows how to block, and he was soon takingheavy toll of the longitudinally challenged deliveries of the Academyspinners. By the close Ebrahim had scored an uncharacteristic 27 in morethan two hours, while Evans had 31.