Neil Johnson misses century

By Ted Corbett

CAPE TOWN, JAN. 28. By the time Neil Johnson, its left-handed opener, had ground out 97 off 134 balls and it had made 211 for seven, an average score on the Newlands ground, Zimbabwe must have been secure in the belief that it had done enough to win its triangular tournament game against England. But it was an unenterprising way to go about success even if it was also an indication of the trouble England might have in scoring fluently.

Zimbabwe won the toss, always a useful trick when the pitch is being used for the second time in three days as this one was, and naturally chose to bat. Its openers Johnson and Grant Flower were off to a flier, with 11 off Gough's first four balls and 29 in the first five overs. Caddick had to be taken off after conceding 17 in his first three overs and Gough, needing one wicket to overhaul Phil DeFreitas and become the second highest England wicket taker after Ian Botham, could not find the magic touch that has been his trade mark in this tournament.

Mark Alleyne claimed the first two wickets. He owed most for the first to the square leg fielder Hick who ran under a steepling catch almost to long leg and, after several adjustments, grabbed the chance at the second attempt. The ball went so high that the batsmen crossed for a second time. Four balls later Alistair Campbell was run out, mainly because he hesitated while Alleyne picked the ball up at mid-off and threw down the batsman's stumps from 30 yards with Campbell so far out that umpire Cyril Mitchley had no need to call for a replay.

At 56 for two Zimbabwe had to regroup. Johnson was calmly collecting runs all the time, but Murray Goodwin spent 44 balls making 21 and failed to hit a four. Indeed he might have been caught by Nick Knight in the gully before he had scored. At 111 he attempted a sweep and Chris Read, the batting hero of the defeat by South Africa, snapped up a simple catch. Andy Flower helped Johnson add 40 for the fourth wicket before driving Caddick high to mid-wicket at 151.

If this report sounds very matter-of-fact it is because that is the way Zimbabwe bat; utterly predictable, riskless, careful to the point of boring you into submission. Little wonder. As it showed against the South Africans at Wanderers its batting comes to an abrupt halt when five are out. Now it run supply dried up. From the 33rd over to the 39th when Carlisle scooped the ball up in the air only 12 runs came and Carlisle spent 17 balls making two.

Gough was the bowler and now the second most successful in the tiny history of England one-day cricket; 29 behind Botham's 145.

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