Online ReporterZIMBABWE will play South Africa in a four-day warm-up match in Arundel, Sussex from Tuesday.
The Proteas will use this match as part of their preparations for the World Test Championship battle against Australia at Lord’s next month.
It’s only the second time that the two Southern African neighbours will be playing each other in a cricket match in England.
The first one was a 1999 World Cup match.
There are some analysts who even claim that this was Zimbabwe’s greatest ODI side ever.
Neil Johnson, one of the finest all-rounders to play for the Chevrons, was at the peak of his athletic powers.
Johnson, who had played for South Africa A before returning to his homeland, brought destructive batting and nippy swing bowling to the table.
Both facets were on display in Chelmsford as he almost single-handedly inflicted South Africa’s first defeat of the tournament.
Johnson opened with a rasping 76, latching on to loose offerings from Jacques Kallis with the new ball, an innings typified by the stand-and-deliver stuff and his disregard for reputation.
A target of 234 shouldn’t have been too much of a test for a South African team who’d been early tournament pace-setters.
However, no one told that to the Zimbabwe new-ball attack, and Johnson led a dramatic demolition job removing Gary Kirsten with the first ball of the innings, caught in the gully.
After Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher had been dispatched by Heath Streak and a run-out, Johnson removed Kallis, caught behind fourth ball, and yorked Hansie Cronje as the score lurched to 34 for 5 and shortly thereafter to 40 for 6.
There was no way back for South Africa, despite another display of effortless hitting from Lance Klusener, and Zimbabwe progressed to the second stage of a World Cup for the first time.
That game also played a role in hastening England’s departure from the World Cup – they needed to beat India and hope South Africa beat Zimbabwe; both results did not materialise.
South Africa could have avoided a semi-final clash against Australia had they won this game.
Of course, they didn’t and went on to lose to the Aussies, whom they face in the Test championship, in dramatic fashion in that semi-final. —Sports Reporter/Cricinfo
Mathew Masinge