One-nil up to Pakistan – a deserved victory, but honesty must insist that Zimbabwe dug their own grave to an extent
John Ward16-Nov-2002One-nil up to Pakistan – a deserved victory, but honesty must insist that Zimbabwe dug their own grave to an extent. Once again our bowling fell far short of Test standard, and we can only be grateful that Pakistan were not as efficiently ruthless as South Africa were a year ago. On that occasion a score of 600 for three, scored at breakneck speed, showed up Zimbabwe’s bowling for exactly what it was worth – and no doubt the Australians would have done the same, had they dared to tour last April.Zimbabwe’s batsman in the final innings of the First Test match were unable to make up for the failures of Zimbabwe’s bowlers. A target of 430 was scarcely realistic, despite the hopes of the starry-eyed optimists, as it would have been a new world record had Zimbabwe achieved it. But at least a response of 310 enabled Zimbabwe to lose with honour.The match was lost before lunch on the third day. Zimbabwe were already 60 behind on first innings, but so had they been in Peshawar in 1998/99, the scene of Zimbabwe’s away Test victory against Pakistan. On that occasion inspired pace bowling by Heath Streak and Henry Olonga, superbly backed by Pommie Mbangwa, too Zimbabwe through to a historic victory.Something like that was needed this time too. Instead our seam bowlers showed the lack of discipline that has been all too familiar from Zimbabwe teams during the last couple of years, and Inzamam, a century before lunch, and Taufeeq Umar took full advantage. By lunch Pakistan were well over 200 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand, and the match had been tossed away.The team announced for the Second Test, which starts at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo in Saturday, shows two changes. Blessing Mahwire and Guy Whittall have been dropped for Mark Vermeulen, who will make his Test debut, and Mluleki Nkala.Mahwire’s original selection, it seems, was another case of the selectors plunging somebody into Test cricket before he was ready for it, and then promptly dropped when he fails. Whittall’s exclusion is hard to understand. He failed with the bat, although receiving a superb delivery in the second innings, but in our first innings he played a vital role.Pakistan with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana at the crease were looking to run away with the match when Whittall came on and, despite being scarcely recovered from a leg injury, bowled a long accurate spell that tied the batsmen down, frustrated them and enabled the bowlers at the other end, Andy Blignaut in particular, to take wickets and keep Zimbabwe in the match. Pakistan stumbled from 217 for three to 285 all out, which would never have happened without Whittall’s bowling. He was less effective in the second innings, but his leg was giving him some pain. However, he feels strongly that he was fit to play in the Second Test.Blignaut and Henry Olonga both took five wickets in an innings during the First Test. Blignaut is a wicket-taking bowler, but tends to be erratic; sometimes he allows the batsmen off the hook through inaccuracy but he can break through with a devastating delivery. This sort of bowler so often bowls best with a steady partner, a ‘straight man’ – like Whittall. Olonga was often disappointing, despite his five wickets in the second innings – too many bad deliveries and not at full pace. Again, like Blignaut, he needs somebody at the other end who can keep things fairly quiet. It can be dangerous to have two bowlers like this in tandem, because it is too easy for the batsmen to play safe and then attack the bad balls when they come along frequently enough not to cause them any frustration.Zimbabwe’s bowling is a serious worry at the moment. We have recently been celebrating ten years of Test cricket for Zimbabwe – and even in that first year of Test cricket our bowling was better than it is now. We did have Eddo Brandes and John Traicos as outstanding bowlers, but even their back-ups, men like Mark Burmester and Malcolm Jarvis, were able to bowl line and length. They pursued a policy that is open to criticism, bowling consistently wide of the off stump to make the opposing batsmen chase them – but at least they were consistent. For most of our present bowlers, the only consistent quality about their bowling is its inaccuracy. Their unreliable length and direction is useless in putting pressure on the opposition.Hopefully the new layout of the Logan Cup competition will force bowlers who may be able to get away with it in club cricket to knuckle down and add some discipline to their bowling. But that will take time. Right now we need to play some seamers who can at least bowl with some semblance of accuracy. But – the selectors dropped the only seamer who was able to do that in the First Test. Even one four-ball an over relaxes pressure on the opposition, but all too many of those bowled at Harare Sports Club contained several loose balls.If our seamers cannot get their act together, perhaps our selectors should look at basing their attack around spin. At the World Cup three years ago we had Paul Strang, Andrew Whittall and Adam Huckle. Now Paul’s bowling seems permanently curtailed by injury, while the other two have retired prematurely. Fortunately we have Raymond Price, who bowled quite well although not at his best in Harare. Brian Murphy is not yet back to his best, but the selectors should look at giving him all the encouragement they can. We have two very promising off-spinning all-rounders in Richard Sims and Gavin Ewing, both named in the original 19-man Test squad, but they are still inexperienced beyond Logan Cup level.The batting was less of a problem, and if Grant Flower, who says he has begun thinking more positively about playing his shots, can continue the improvement we will be well served, although at the moment they will often have to chase the large totals conceded by our bowlers. Hamilton Masakadza, though, has had no practice of the quality he needs down at the University of the Free State and did not do well. Alistair Campbell did not carry his club and Logan Cup form into this match, but he should be given another Test before we start criticizing.If Grant Flower was one batsman to inspire hope, wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu was another. According to Dave Houghton, his batting skills have been grossly under-rated, and his previous highest score in Tests was only 13. But he came through with a fine undefeated 51 in the first innings, and then proved a valuable partner for Andy Flower in the second until sawn off by an umpiring error.Another reason why Zimbabwe managed to restrict Pakistan to 285 in the first innings was due to the brilliance of the close catching. Campbell held four catches in the match, Grant Flower three and Andy Flower two. As far as I can recall, only one low chance was missed, in the slips. The ground fielding was also good until Inzamam began to get on top of the buffet bowling (help yourself) handed out in the second innings.Pakistan’s batting passed the test on the whole, although they were not as ruthless as the South Africans last year. The course of the Second Test will probably depend now on whether Zimbabwe’s bowlers can pull themselves together and bowl with far greater accuracy – even if it is by bowling two feet outside off stump and making the opposition chase them. But, although the selectors do not seem to realize it, the team will miss the accuracy of Guy Whittall.The others need to step in and take his place. I have not had the chance to see Mluleki Nkala bowl this season, but he is going for four runs an over, at an average of 35 in Logan Cup, so that does not inspire confidence. As a short-term solution it might have been an idea to consider Gus Mackay, who concedes less than 2.4 runs an over at an average of 17. But the selectors seem to have a policy at present of throwing raw youngsters in at the deep end before they have learned to bowl line and length, so we would have to have a hospital filled with injured seamers before they would dream of that. But desperate situations call for desperate measures – and when we look at the pastings handed out Zimbabwe’s bowler over the last two seasons, it seems clear to me that we have a desperate situation.Never before in our ten years of Test cricket has our bowling been so weak. Even with Heath Streak – who seems to prefer batting over bowling since he first became captain – we suffered badly last season: 600 for three by South Africa, followed by 519 for eight; 586 for six, 505 and 418 by Sri Lanka; 570 for seven by India. In one-day cricket we conceded 363 for three to South Africa, 319 for six and 333 for six to India, the three highest totals we have ever conceded in one-day internationals, all in the same season. If this isn’t a crisis, then the word needs redefining.Besides the spinners we have lost, we have also been deprived of some of our most accurate seamers – not that the selectors have treated them with the respect they deserve. Bryan Strang has walked out on Zimbabwe cricket. Pommie Mbangwa had his Logan Cup season spoiled by injury and illness, and only took four wickets – but three runs per over conceded demands respect, when most other seamers were going for four. Gary Brent is another who is a whole-hearted trier and can put the ball on the spot. He had a bad start to the season but has now pulled back. Our selectors need to get the message and pass it on to the players – accuracy counts. Whatever else most of our bowlers have, it is proving ineffective at Test level.So now the Second Test depends, in my opinion, largely on whether Zimbabwe’s bowlers can do a job and actually put pressure on the Pakistani batsmen. Pakistan have the bowling talent to put fear of dismissal into the minds of the opposition, which is one kind of pressure. Zimbabwe cannot match that, but if they can find some accuracy from somewhere they can put pressure on the Pakistani batsmen to score. Whittall did that to great effect on the first day in Harare. Unfortunately – the team will have to do without him in Bulawayo.