Tourists tie at Worcester

Zimbabwe made two changes to the side which ran out easy winners in the game against the Combined Universities by introducing Travis Friend and Ray Price in place of Sean Ervine and Doug Marillier for the sterner challenge of Worcestershire at the picturesque New Road ground.

Worcestershire won the toss and elected to take first knock on a wicket which had already been used once this season - and frankly, it looked it. It would have been nice to see Graeme Hick lock horns with his former compatriots, but unfortunately, that opportunity was spurned.

Blignaut pegged the home side back, removing both openers in a spell of some penetration only for Vikram Solanki and Ben Smith to add 129 in a whirlwind partnership for the third wicket.

The Zimbabwean skipper, Heath Streak, only managed to bowl a couple of overs before leaving the field with what was reported to be a back injury. This, coupled with the indifferent form of Travis Friend left the visitors attack looking decidedly threadbare, but Price, Grant Flower and especially Douglas Hondo stuck manfully to the task, eventually dismissing Worcestershire for 262.

The first ball of the Zimbabwean innings got off to the worst possible start, losing Dion Ibrahim run out off the first ball. Mark Vermeulen soon followed and Grant Flower scratched around for almost an hour before he was caught by Peters off the bowling of Mason shortly before stumps.

Day 1 close of play : Worcestershire 1st innings 262, Zimbabwe 1st innings 69-3.


Day 2 dawned cloudy with the hint of rain in the air. A heavy shower an hour before play was due to get under way gave Stuart Carlisle a few extra minutes to open his birthday presents as the start was delayed by 15 minutes.

Barney Rogers, Carlisle's partner from the previous evening was dismissed for 4, which brought the reliable Tatenda Taibu to the wicket. Together, the pair added 105 for the fifth wicket in a partnership which at first crawled along at two runs an over.

A second interruption for inclement weather brought an early lunch, and in the afternoon the Zimbabweans sought to accelerate against an accurate attack on a helpful track. Predictably, wickets started to fall again with Taibu (57) and Blignaut (2) both dismissed by the impressive Kabir Ali.

Carlisle went to his century with a six off Kabir Ali as he and Travis Friend took the score past that of the home side. Friend departed for 39 but at the end of a rain-interrupted second day, Stuart Carlisle was still undefeated on 139.

Day 2 close of play : Zimbabwe 1st innings 296-8.


The news on day 3 for the tourists was not good - skipper Heath Streak was suffering intermittent back spasms and would be unlikely to take any further part in the game.

Douglas Hondo and Carlisle took the partnership for the ninth - and effectively the last - wicket beyond fifty before Carlisle's marathon finally came to an end, stumped off the bowling of Batty for 157. With the continued absence of Heath Streak, Zimbabwe were all out for 334 - a lead of 72.

Loose bowling by Blignaut and Hondo allowed Worcestershire to all-but wipe out the deficit before Travis Friend came on to winkle out Singh and Solanki. Wickets continued to tumble during a hectic afternoon where only Stephen Peters (63) and Andrew Hall (68) looked in any way secure on a wicket which offered continuous help to seam and spin alike.

Ryan Price was particularly effective, taking 2-47 off 26 overs but it was the slow left arm of Grant Flower which realised the most impressive figures of 3-25. When Pipe was stumped by Tatenda Taibu, Worcestershire had been dismissed for 247, leaving Zimbabwe a victory target of 176 with a day to go.

Day 3 close of play : Zimbabwe 1st innings 334, Worcestershire 2nd innings 247


Requiring 176 for victory on a wicket which was deteriorating rapidly, the one thing which Zimbabwe didn't need was to lose early wickets. To lose five before lunch, they appeared to be out of the contest entirely.

First of all, Mark Vermeulen went for a duck, caught behind off the left arm seam of Mark Harrity before Ebrahim became the first of five victims for Kabir Ali. With first innings centurian Stuart Carlisle, Barney Rogers and Tatenda Taibu all dismissed cheaply, the tourists were reeling at 55-5.

Grant Flower played a sheet-anchor role as he and Andy Blignaut added a valuable 64 for the sixth wicket before Blignaut was out for a run-a-ball 42. When Flower departed shortly afterwards, Zimbabwe were still 48 short of victory.

Heath Streak decided to bat with Taibu as a runner and could be forgiven for thinking that his effort would be unrewarded as Travis Friend departed shortly afterwards but gradually Zimbabwe inched towards their victory target, thanks largely to several lusty blows from Streak.

When the ninth wicket partnership had added 48 in well over an hour and with the scores level, Streak edged a ball from Kabir Ali straight to Peters at slip. Two balls later, Hondo was bowled neck and crop by the same bowler and the game had ended as an unlikely tie.

Worcestershire 262 (Smith 53, Hondo 3-53) and 247 (Hall 68, Peters 63, Flower 3-25)
tied with
Zimbabwe 334 (Carlisle 157, Taibu 57, Kabir Ali 3-89) and 175 (Kabir Ali 5-48, Batty 3-32)


Posted by Eddie