A career best 172 not out by Zimbabwe opening batsman Craig Wishart — the highest score by a Zimbabwean in one day internationals — powered his team to a huge score of 340-2 at the World Cup on Monday, almost certainly well beyond the reach of Namibia.
Zimbabwe had been put into bat by Namibia captain Deon Kotze, who had explained it would be less stressful to his nervous team than batting in their World Cup debut. But his men did little else than fetch balls from the boundary.
In full command from the outset, Wishart raced past his previous best of 102, made against India in 1998, in 101 balls. He went on to hit 18 fours and three sixes.
When he reached 143 he passed Andy Flower’s highest one-day
score for Zimbabwe and his 172 runs required only 151 balls. Wishart and Grant Flower, who scored an unbeaten 78, put on an unbeaten 166 in 117 balls for the third wicket.
Namibia managed to take two wickets, those of Mark Vermeulen and Andy Flower. But it was poor compensation for a humiliating morning.
As the match got under way, Zimbabwean stars Andy Flower and colleague Henry Olonga issued a statement condemning ”the death of democracy” in the country. The two senior players will wear black armbands for the duration of the World Cup tournament, Flower wearing his during his innings of 39. The statement hit out at torture, oppression, rape and starvation in Zimbabwe and the two players said they could not remain silent while hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans suffered from oppression.
Neither Flower nor Olonga were prepared to comment further and Zimbabwe Cricket Union officials were not immediately available for comment.
Zimbabwe players are forbidden by the ZCU from making public statements, so there are certain to be repercussions for them. – Sapa-AP