TELFORD VICE, Bloemfontein | Friday 7.30pm
Zimbabwe 292. South Africa 29-0
DIFFICULT as it may be to believe, Shaun Pollock found a downside to taking his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket against Zimbabwe at Springbok Park on Friday.
His father, Peter, enjoyed nine such golden days during his 28 Test matches. Shaun is playing his 34th. And that’s the problem.
“He played fewer matches than me, so if I bring it up that’s what he’ll say,” Pollock said after the close.
But it is surely unlikely that Pollock senior would have anything nasty to say, not after the way his son bowled in taking 5-39 on Friday. The tall paceman was on target from his first ball of the match, and trapped Grant Flower in front for a duck with his second delivery.
The rest of the cream of Zimbabwe’s batting proceeded to crash at Pollock’s feet as Murray Goodwin, Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower and Bryan Strang were dismissed by the Natalian.
Hansie Cronje deserves at least some of the praise earned by Pollock. The South African captain, playing on his home ground, knew the pitch prepared for this match was not the usual Springbok Park featherbed and asked the Zimbabweans to bat after winning the toss.
Steep but consistent bounce and early lateral movement proved him right, and 75 overs later Zimbabwe had been clinically dealt with.
Not that the South Africans bowled impressively as a team. Allan Donald struggled with his rhythm, and while Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis tried hard they were no match for Pollock.
And that despite the hamstring strain that was the legacy of playing a club match in wet conditions in Durban at the weekend. However, Pollock said he felt no ill effects from the injury.
Zimbabwe slumped to 47-3 at lunch and 121-7 at tea, but Guy Whittall prolonged the innings with a defiant 85 in which he was at the crease for 148 minutes, faced 114 balls and hit 14 boundaries. Three of Whittall’s fours were blazed on the up off one over by Donald.
Henry Olonga, yorked for one by Jacques Kallis, lent Whittall valuable support in his 47 minutes at the crease in which he shared in a ninth-wicket stand worth 43 runs.
The best of Zimbabwe’s mournful top order batting came the captain, Campbell, who propped an end for 130 minutes for his gritty 27.
The South African openers, debutant Boeta Dippenaar and Adam Bacher, were rather less troubled in scoring 17 and nine not out respectively.
Dippenaar celebrated his elevation to the game’s highest level by stroking four genuine boundaries. — MWP
Scoreboard:
Zimbabwe innings:
G Flower lbw b Pollock 0 (5m, 6b)
T Gripper run out (Dippenaar) 16 (101m, 70b)
M Goodwin c Boucher b Pollock 7 (32m, 29b)
A Campbell c Klusener b Pollock 27 (130m, 83b)
A Flower lbw b Pollock 13 (46m, 46b)
N Johnson c Boucher b Donald 6 (15m, 9b)
G Rennie c Cullinan b Kallis 14 (67m, 39b)
G Whittall c Boucher b Kallis 85 (148m, 114b)
B Strang c Cronje b Pollock 9 (27m, 23b)
H Olonga b Kallis 1 (47m, 33b)
M Mbangwa not out 0 (8m, 5b)
Extras (6lb, 5nb, 3w) 14
Total (all out) 192 — 75 overs
Fall of wickets: 1/1 2/14 3/41 4/63 5/78 6/79 7/117 8/140 9/183
Bowling: Donald 18-5-58-1 (2w), Pollock 21-6-39-5 (5nb), Klusener
16-5-40-0, Kallis 17-4-44-3 (1w), Adams 3-1-5-0.
Toss: won by South Africa