Zim find honour in defeat

By Robson Sharuko
THROUGHOUT their time in the field yesterday, Zimbabwe did not only look like a genuine World Cup team, but they were so competitive they never made it easy for the record-breaking Australians chasing their fourth straight crown.
Unbeaten in 29 matches, stretching over a dozen years, in which they have ruled the world with an iron fist, the Aussies looked formidable.
But it was hard to tell the difference between this Goliath, which had won all its last 23 matches in the World Cup, and guided by a captain yet to lose a match at this tournament as skipper, and this little David just emerging from the wilderness.
On the occasion when Ricky Ponting broke the record of the highest number of World Cup appearances for the Aussies, taking it away from retired fast bowler Glenn McGrath, the Aussie party never got going throughout their 50 overs at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, yesterday.
But then, as the Zimbabweans chased a total that looked reasonably in range on a good batting track, the demons returned and all their brilliant efforts in the field went to waste.
The top order, as has frustratingly become a common story with this Zimbabwean team, failed to impose itself in the face of a barrage from the Aussie pace attack and that Graeme Cremer, batting at number nine, top-scored with 37, told the entire story of a batting show that needed heroes but got none.
Two big performances from their premier batsmen, coupled with notable contributions from others, was probably what Elton Chigumbura and his men needed in their reply to emulate the Class of ’83, led by Duncan Fletcher, which shocked the Aussies in England.
Noone had given the Class of 2011 a chance to win against the defending World Cup champions, winners of the three last tournaments, and who were coming in with their confidence at its peak, after a 6-1 demolition of England in an ODI series at home.
But, for a long time during their fielding, the Zimbabweans justified their place at the tournament and, crucially, emphasised how much they have improved of late – bowling with discipline and complimenting that with excellent fielding.
There was no explosive start for the Aussies, even though they had the destructive Shane Watson as opener, and the Zimbabweans simply kept it tight with disciplined bowling either end, seamer Chris Mpofu’s first five overs went for just 15 runs.
Spinners Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Cremer all kept it tight, being rewarded with a wicket each, and at a very good economy rate at which each of their 10 overs averaged around four runs while Mpofu took 2-58, with his last four overs going for 43 runs.
The Aussies plundered 90 runs in the last 10 overs but their 262 was all about hard work and, crucially, a total that gave Zimbabwe a chance.
“I thought we restricted them to the score we wanted to chase. But we have to work on our batting. It was a good wicket to bat on,” Chigumbura told journalists after the match.
“The fifth bowler is something we have to work on as well. But overall our bowling and fielding was superb. We just lost too many wickets up front.”
Ponting was relieved to have started with a win in a performance that was thoroughly professional as the defending champions put victory ahead of anything else.
“Good start for us today. Zimbabwe bowled and fielded really well. Slow wicket and tough to get any pace on the ball,” the Aussie skipper told Cricinfo.
“Preserving wickets is going to be our strategy through the tournament. The wicket was slow and hard to bat on. We kept wickets in hand and gave ourselves a chance to score a good total.”
Chigumbura had told the pre-match media conference that his team would not surrender easily and suffer a demolition the way the Kenyans had been humiliated by New Zealand in the other group match the previous day.
Hamish Bennett’s 4-16 had sent the Kenyans reeling and they were bowled out for just 69, their worst score at the World Cup finals, and the fifth overall lowest score at the tournament.
In reply the Black Caps of New Zealand raced to a 10-wicket win, reaching their target with ease, in just eight overs, to turn the contest into an eyesore for the neutrals.
Incredibly the Kenyans looked out of depth, not only with the quality of the New Zealand seam attack, but also with the review system as they somehow accepted decisions that looked debatable and, on the occasions they offered their challenge, the referral was ridiculous.

Chiigumbura told journalists that the stronger structures in Zimbabwean cricket would ensure that they avoid the humiliation suffered by Kenya.
Of course, the Zimbabweans did avoid that, keeping the explosive Watson in check for a period, playing with passion and making it a match rather than a mockery.
But, on an occasion when they needed luck on their side, the Zimbabweans got none of that.
And nowhere was that better illustrated than when opener Brad Haddin mistimed his shot, trying to pull Prosper Utseya, and the ball somehow found its way to the stumps, crashing into the base of the middle stump and bouncing back.
The bails, incredibly, did not go down.
But if Zimbabwe’s performance in the field was first-class, their batting was not up to scratch and opener Charles Coventry departed for just 14, having struggled against the short ball, and top-edging a Brett Lee bouncer that was taken by the paceman.
Tatenda Taibu promised much but delivered little, his attempt to guide the ball to third man failing as he could only find Watson at first slip after having only scored seven while Craig Ervine, the most successful batsman when Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh, fell for a duck.
Chigumbura could only score 14, Regis Chakabva added six and, while there were useful contributions from the realiable Utseya (24) and Cremer (37), the game had long been lost when Zimbabwe slumped to 44-4.
Zimbabwe will take some consolation from the fact that, even in defeat, they took the contest to the 47th over and, what that means, is that they have something to build on.
Crucially, they will face a lot of weaker opponents than the Aussies they faced yesterday, beginning with Canada in Nagpur on Monday.
And if Alan Butcher and his men can take the lessons from Ahmedabad, when they competed well for long periods against the champions, then they can still turn around their campaign.
Yesterday’s defeat by the Aussies was by no means a humiliation and, rather than break us, it should build us because it showed that we could compete.
There is no need to bury our heads in the sand because, now that the Aussies are out of the way, our 2011 World Cup show can begin in earnest.