da bet sport： South Africa put Zimbabwe to the sword at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday, hammering an awesome 363 for the loss of just three wicketsagainst a helpless Zimbabwean bowling line-up, before going on to win the match by153 runs
John Ward23-Sep-2001South Africa put Zimbabwe to the sword at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday, hammering an awesome 363 for the loss of just three wicketsagainst a helpless Zimbabwean bowling line-up, before going on to win the match by153 runs.It was an adequate reflection of excellent batting and an incompetentZimbabwean performance at the bowling crease – 15 wides and 7 no-balls alsotell their story – and the match as a contest was over very early on.Once again Zimbabwe were let down by undisciplined bowling, especially byTravis Friend, who conceded 47 runs in his opening spell of four overs.Gary Kirsten began the slaughter with cuts for four off Friend’s first twodeliveries, then Herschelle Gibbs took him apart, including a remarkable front-foot sixover backward point. Once more Zimbabwe’s selectors seemed to have madetheir choices with little appreciation of the virtues of accuracy. HeathStreak also failed to threaten the batsmen or keep the score down, and thehundred came up in only the tenth over.Gibbs reached his fifty off 30 balls, and it took leg-spinner Paul Strang toexercise some sort of control. Replays showed he might have been unluckynot to win an lbw appeal against Kirsten when the latter was on 47, justbefore he ran to his fifty off 41 balls, but the umpire had no hesitationlater when Kirsten had 66 and was struck in front of the stumps attempting asweep. South Africa were 153 for one in the 19th over.The slower bowlers, helped by additional boundary fielders, made SouthAfrica work harder for their runs, but Gibbs’ century still came off 84balls, South Africa’s fastest in one-day cricket. Streak returned for the36th over and claimed Gibbs lbw for 125, rather controversially as he waswell forward and was perhaps hit outside the line of off stump; 244 for two.The coming of Jonty Rhodes as usual led to superb running between wickets withJacques Kallis, and at one stage he reverse-swept Grant Flower for six. Thescore was by now past 300; 313 was the previous highest total againstZimbabwe and 328 the highest by South Africa in one-day internationals.Kallis on 83 was caught by Andy Flower driving at Friend to be dismissed forthe first time on tour. Rhodes reached fifty off 37 balls, finishing on 54,and South Africa finished with the incredible total of 363 for threewickets.Zimbabwe quickly lost Dion Ebrahim (0), dabbing a catch to slip off AndreNel. Hamilton Masakadza (11), on his debut, played safely for a while withAlistair Campbell, although scoring at nowhere near the required rate, untilCampbell refused a call for a risky single to mid-off and Masakadza was run out;Zimbabwe were 43 for two on the 14th over.Andy Flower came in at number four and as usual started collecting runsapparently with time to spare, at better than a run a ball. The incredulousSouth Africans in the press box nominated a six off Makhaya Ntini high overwide long-off as the shot of the day, even ahead of Gibbs’ six over backwardpoint. With 34 off 32 balls, though, he risked a single too close to Rhodeson the off side and was thrown out by several yards at the bowler’s end;Zimbabwe 97 for three in the 24th over.Campbell batted well for 81 but then misread a slower delivery to giveShaun Pollock the simplest of return catches. Craig Wishart scored 45 beforebeing brilliantly caught by Klusener running back from slip as he top-edgeda sweep at Claude Henderson, but by now Zimbabwe were treating it as mere battingpractice. Grant Flower (22 not out) and Guy Whittall (5 not out) werecontent to stay there and the match finished with a whimper; Zimbabwe 210for five.