/ 30 May 2000

ZIM BEAT MCC IN SECOND TEST RUN-UP

ZIMBABWE warmed up for Thursday’s second Test at Trent Bridge with their second consecutive victory on Yorkshire soil beating MCC by 22 runs in Castleford on Sunday. The tourists, beaten with embarrassing ease by England in the first Test at Lord’s and badly out of touch elsewhere this summer, played themselves back into form with a morale-boosting win over Yorkshire at Headingley earlier this week – and added this victory against an MCC side which featured several current county players. All-rounder Neil Johnson was the key man for Zimbabwe. He made 40 at the top of the order to lead them to 164 for seven from 46 overs between the showers, and then added an economical spell of one for 19 from nine overs with the new ball as the MCC reply realised only 142 all out. Pace lynchpin Heath Streak showed he is on his way back from injury with a spell of one for 32 from 10 overs, while Mluleki Nkala (three for 28) was the Zimbabweans’ most successful bowler. Yorkshire’s Anthony McGrath (46) fared best of the MCC batsmen.