TELFORD VICE, Bloemfontein | Sunday 7.00pm
ZIMBABWE ended the third day of the first test against South Africa still 102 runs short of making the home side bat again with five wickets already down.
The tourists reached 123-5 in their second innings at the close, needing 225 to avoid an innings defeat. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 192 in their first innings, to which South Africa replied with 417.
Jacques Kallis did most of the damage by taking three wickets for two runs in the space of 10 balls. Kallis took a wicket in each of his first three overs, bowling Grant Flower for eight, having Murray Goodwin caught behind for a duck – although the ball seemed to come off Goodwin’s shoulder – and trapping Trevor Gripper in front for 11.
That reduced Zimbabwe to 24-3 in the 13th over, but captain Alistair Campbell and Andy Flower made a commendable attempt to repair the damage with a stand of 53 that ended when Campbell, on 33, pulled a ball from Shaun Pollock to Hansie Cronje at wide mid-on.
Kallis struck again in the fourth over before the close by trapping Andy Flower in front for 39.
At the crease at stumps were Neil Johnson, on 23, and Gavin Rennie, who is four not out. Kallis finished the day with figures of 4-40.
Brisk batting saw 98 runs scored in the morning session as South Africa advanced from their overnight score of 253-4 to 351-8 at lunch.
However, Zimbabwe’s tactic of frustrating the batsmen by setting defensive field placings and bowling wide of off-stump paid dividends with four key wickets going down.
Cronje was first to go when he turned a leg-side delivery from Mpumelelo Mbangwa into wicketkeeper Andy Flower’s gloves in the fourth over of the day. Cronje’s 64 saw him at the crease for 224 minutes in which he faced 145 balls and hit 11 fours.
Shaun Pollock scored eight before steering a ball from Bryan Strang to Campbell at second slip.
Midway through the session Lance Klusener, who hit the first of his three fours of the third ball he faced, was trapped in front by Grant Flower for 19, followed by Jonty Rhodes falling in similar fashion to Henry Olonga 20 minutes before lunch.
Rhodes’ 70 in 172 minutes, off 138 balls and including eight fours and a six, held together the South African middle order in the wake of Cronje’s dismissal.
South Africa lost Allan Donald in the fourth over after lunch when he was yorked by Olonga for two.
Boucher and Paul Adams then made the Zimbabweans sweat in a last-wicket stand of 54 runs scored in 79 minutes and off 107 balls.
Boucher finished with 55 not out in 154 minutes, off 98 balls and with five fours, while Adams was caught at mid-on by Gripper off Olonga for 20.
Zimbabwe stuck to their task on a sound batting pitch, with Olonga’s 4-93 the pick of the bowling figures. — MWP