adminallowing Daniel Vettori to give New Zealand a decisive advantage midway into the evening session at Queens yesterday
Zimbabwe were bowled out 113 runs adrift in the first innings, but clawed back towards parity with two early blows in the second dig, leaving New Zealand effectively 141 for 2, with two days to play.
Two of the culprits – Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor – had done well until their respective moments of indiscretion after seeing off an incisive opening burst from the seamers.
Their largesse, however, reduced Zimbabwe to a dodgy 198 for 5, before Malcolm Waller reprised his father Andrew’s feat of scoring a debut fifty in Bulawayo to haul them past 300.
Sibanda was the only man to miss out on what turned out to be a day for milestones. Waller’s was the most unusual feat of the lot, but Vettori’s 350th Test wicket, Chris Martin’s 200th, and Taylor’s fourth successive score of 50-plus on the tour meant statisticians were working overtime.
Martin and Doug Bracewell began the day with tight lines outside off stump, getting the odd ball to shape in through the air and off the seam.
In the second over of the day, Bracewell sneaked one in sharply enough to disturb Hamilton Masakadza’s off stump as he shouldered arms. Sibanda was more watchful, getting across to cover the line and play as often as possible.
The first five overs of the day yielded only two runs, before Sibanda shook off the lethargy with two pleasing drives. Taylor, on the other hand, endured a thorough test of his technique, as the seamers preyed on his tendency to defend without getting fully forward.
Martin had him inside-edging a sharp inswinger, while Bracewell cut him in half with another one that came in. He was also troubled by a couple of short balls, before easing into gear with a pull shot for four.
That boundary signalled the end of the fast bowlers’ opening spells, and the pressure visibly dissipated.
Sibanda welcomed Jeetan Patel by launching him for a straight six and lofting him over mid-off and cracking him square for boundaries.
Taylor swept Daniel Vettori for four, before taking Patel for two leg-side sixes. After having conceded only 23 off the first 13 overs of the day, New Zealand had leaked 41 off the next five. Zimbabwe’s offensive on Patel forced him out of the attack, and in the absence of suitable back-up options, New Zealand turned to debutant Dean Brownlie, whose first-class career consisted of 17 wicket-less overs. Sibanda couldn’t have asked for more amiable circumstances to bring up his maiden Test ton but, on 93, he cut a wide trundler straight to gully.
With 30 minutes to go for lunch, Vettori probed away for a breach, and the rewards duly followed after the break. Taylor succumbed attempting to sweep the fourth ball of the middle session, after having survived a straightforward appeal in similar circumstances earlier.
Taibu perished in Vettori’s next over, charging mindlessly and holing out to mid-on. With the follow-on mark still 29 runs away, and the second new ball around the corner, Zimbabwe found themselves in an avoidable mess. The debutant pair of Waller and Regis Chakabva buckled down admirably against Martin’s inswing, and Bracewell’s tight lines.
Only 11 runs came in the 10 overs following Taibu’s exit, before Waller smoked Martin through the covers.
Vettori was immediately pressed back into service with a newish ball, and Waller welcomed him with a pleasing straight drive, as Zimbabwe averted the follow-on in the 90th over of the innings.
Vettori continued to attack, with three men close in on the off side, angling in a raft of well-disguised arm-balls. Waller didn’t read him too well, but battled through by staying back and reading him off the pitch. – Cricinfo.
Online Reporter