| Scorecard: | Matabeleland v Namibia |
Namibia were required to field first for the only time on tour. The Matabeleland openers battled through some very good early bowling, with Tinashe Hove going on to make an impressive 80. This laid the foundation for 105 off 96 balls by Vermeulen.
Vermeulen was finally dismissed when he went for a hasty second run to his partners hit into the deep. He was probably not in real danger of being run out, but as the throw passed him, with the bowler preparing to receive it, he thrust his bat at it and deflected it to the boundary. On appeal he was given out obstructing the field.
Matabeleland totalled 272 for seven, but J B Burger gave Namibia a rollicking start with 71 off 58 balls. The team made a good effort right to the end in chasing their target, but did not have quite enough depth to pull off an unlikely victory. Chris Mpofu was the best bowler with three for 45.
Namibia for the first time on tour had to bat second, as they lost the toss, that in itself a rare occurrence, and Mluleki Nkala decided that Matabeleland would bat. Namibia at least were encouraged by the return of J B Burger, who had earlier thought it unlikely he would play again after spraining his ankle the previous week, but had found the injury much improved on the morning of this match.
Perhaps stung by such inhospitality, Kola Burger and Bjorn Kotze turned in impressive spells with the new ball, testing openers Terry Duffin and Tafadzwa Hove with their accuracy and lift from the pitch. Most of the early runs came through edges, until in the third over Duffin swung Burger over midwicket for four to give Matabeleland their first boundary.
Duffin had an escape in the 10th over, as he tried to hook Kotze, but was surprised by the bounce and skyed a catch towards fine leg off the top edge. Mort van Schoor, the wicketkeeper, and Gerrie Snyman from fine leg both converged on the ball, dithered, held a summit conference during which it was decided that Snyman should go for it despite not having the gloves, and by that time the ball fell right between his hands. It was a catch either could have taken with ease had somebody, preferably the keeper, called for it and gone for it with confidence. In the end the batsmen took two runs from it.
Thus encouraged, Duffin began to open out, going for the pull especially on every possible occasion. The pair did well to see off the new-ball attack, even if the scoring rate was below three an over as they failed to rotate the strike properly. Deon Kotze made a wise decision, though, to bring himself on to bowl his off-breaks earlier than usual, and was rewarded as Duffin grew over-excited, went for a big hit without the required footwork and was bowled. He made 27 and Matabeleland were 45 for one.
Wisdom Siziba lasted only five balls and had not scored when he unwisely tried to turn a straight ball from Rudi van Vuuren to the leg side and was bowled; 46 for two after 16 overs, and Matabeleland had spoiled their good start with two bad shots.
Mark Vermeulen was aggressive from his arrival at the crease and soon increased the scoring rate, following his new policy of looking for ones and twos besides boundaries. Hove too began to open out and play some good attacking strokes, particularly the drive either side of straight. The spinners in particular took some stick, although Danie Keulder missed a return catch from Vermeulen in his first over.
Hove reached his fifty off 80 balls, but Vermeulen was not far behind, off 52. Hoves form in particular was a revelation, as he has not been a regular member of the Matabeleland side and when he has appeared he has not had a great record. He was out in a freakish way, though, flicking a leg-side ball from Keulder round the corner, only for it to hit the wicketkeeper on the shoulder and bounce high for Gerrie Snyman to run up and complete the catch. Hove made 80 and Matabeleland were 185 for three in the 38th over. The third-wicket pair had added 139 in 22 overs.
The explosive Greg Strydom was looking to hit out from the first ball, but he had scored only 7 off 5 balls when he swung wildly across the line to Bjorn Kotze and was comprehensively bowled. Matabeleland were 202 for four in the 40th over.
Vermeulen was now at the peak of his form, playing one handsome drive after another, mostly off the back foot, as he neared his century. At the other end Charles Coventry walked into a delivery from Bjorn Kotze and falling lbw for 8; 224 for five in the 44th over.
A lofted straight drive that bisected the two deep fielders brought Vermeulen his century, off 91 balls, which probably assured him of selection for the national side against England. But he was out to an even more unusual dismissal. Gavin Ewing drove a ball into the deep and the batsmen ran two; as the ball was thrown in to the bowlers end, Vermeulen, running through, deliberately flicked it with his bat as the bowler was preparing to field it, and it flew off to the boundary. The fielders appealed, the bowler van Vuuren gave Vermeulen a piece of his mind, and after consultation the umpires gave Vermeulen out obstructing the field. He made 105 off 96 balls, with 10 fours; Matabeleland were 248 for six in the 48th over.
Nkala was quickly run out, attempting a quick second run that was rejected by Ewing. Ewing was perhaps in the wrong, as Nkala was running to the danger end; the throw came in from substitute Malcolm Waller at long-on, and bowler Snyman threw it down to the keepers end to remove Nkala. He made 2; 262 for seven in the 49th over.
Ewing stayed to the end fulfilling his usual one-day role, and he scored 27 off 21 balls. Tawanda Mupariwa was unbeaten with 3, and the total was 272 for seven wickets. Bjorn Kotze was the only bowler to take more than one wicket, taking two for 51 in his 10 overs; surprisingly Kola Burger did not bowl two of his quota and therefore finished with none for 15 off eight overs.
The key to this match was clearly whether Matabeleland, defending a good total, could tame the menace of hard-hitters J B Burger and Riaan Walters. Burger began in typical style, pulling the first ball of the innings, from Mupariwa, but he mistimed the stroke and got only two from it. He greeted Chris Mpofu to the bowling crease with a cracking lofted off-drive to the boundary and, two balls later, a pull high to the boundary at cow corner.
But Mpofu finished the over with a wicket, as another substitute opening batsman, this time Neil Rossouw, edged a good-length ball just outside off stump to Vermeulen at second slip and departed without scoring; 13 for one after two overs. This brought together the dynamic pair who could win the match between them with time to spare. Keulder was unable to open the innings after injuring his hand while bowling.
Runs flowed from drives and pulls, but the bowlers did manage to keep the scoring rate within bounds briefly through accurate bowling; the occasional aberration was severely punished, though, and Walters hit Mpofu for an effortless six over long-off to which Burger responded by flicking Mupariwa for six over midwicket. Walters hit Mupariwa straight for a high six, and even before the 15 overs were completed the spinners came on. The slaughter continued, though, and one wonders what would happen against a captain with the courage to open with a spinner, before the batsmen got set.
Burger reached his fifty off 41 balls with a straight six off Mbeke Mabuza, followed by a four that pitched just a foot inside the rope. Next over, though, Walters (33 off 33 balls) drove Ewing powerfully but Mpofu at mid-off held the catch above his head. Namibia were 94 for two in the 14th over.
Burger continued on his merry way, hitting Ewing for a spectacular six over extra cover. But then he played a strangely indecisive stroke to Mpofu, shaping as if to cut but then leaving his horizontal bat dangling outside the off stump to edge a catch to the keeper. He walked immediately, out for 71 off 58 balls, with 8 fours and 3 sixes. Namibia were 118 for three in the 18th over, and for Matabeleland the match was half won. But they would first have to ensure that Deon Kotze and Snyman did not reproduce their miracle against Zimbabwe A.
Deon Kotze (5) did not last long, checking a drive against Ewing, but Nkala at short extra cover fell forward to hold a low catch; 136 for four in the 24th over. The main threat to Matabeleland now was the new batsman Snyman.
Runs came steadily and unspectacularly as Snyman played himself in, while Swanepoel was playing his one substantial innings of the tour. But as soon as Snyman decided to open out, hammering a drive at Mabuza, Nkala shot his hands up and took a fine catch above his head in the same short-extra position. Snyman made 12; Namibia 165 for five in the 32nd over. Unless somebody unexpectedly played out of his skin, Matabeleland were victors. The injured Keulder, coming in now, was not a likely candidate; he is a hgood player but not dynamic even when fully fit.
Swanepoel, just as he was looking good for the first time on tour, fell to a fine run-out. He pushed the ball towards Mupariwa at mid-off and called for a risky single; only a direct hit could have removed him, and that was exactly what happened, thanks to a fine throw. He made 39, with jus one boundary, and Namibia were 176 for six in the 35th over.
Van Schoor (1) did not last long, trapped lbw by Nkala; 180 for seven in the 37th over. Victory was now virtually inconceivable for the tourists, but the contribution of Keulder would decide how much of a fight they could still put up.
It was quite a good one, with Bjorn Kotze as his partner and Matabeleland becoming increasingly rowdy in the field. They hit the bad ball well, and there were a number of them, until finally Kotze tried to hit Nkala for six over his head, but only succeeded in skying a catch to Mupariwa at mid-off. He scored 29 off 34 balls, and Namibia were 228 for eight in the 45th over.
Keulders brave innings finally came to an end when the pace bowlers returned for their final spell. A yorker from Mpofu broke through his defences and uprooted his middle stump. He made 35 and Namibia were 238 for nine in the 47th over.
Even now Namibia did not surrender lightly, with the last pair hitting gamely and running between wickets as though their lives depended on it. But, trying to take a quick second run, Kola Burger (3) was narrowly run out with his bat in the air, thanks to a good throw from Coventry, and the match was over. Van Vuuren was unbeaten with 8 off 6 balls.
Namibia were dismissed for 249, the best bowler being Mpofu, whose fine bowling earned him three very good wickets for 45 runs. There were two wickets each for Ewing and Nkala. This victory takes Matabeleland to the top of the Faithwear log, the only team to have won three matches.
(Article: Copyright © 2004 John Ward)