Andy the Majestic does it for Zimbabwe

By G. Viswanath

NAGPUR, NOV. 29. Shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday a Zimbabwe batsman became a cricketing celebrity on Indian soil and he might well be regarded a hero in his own country. Andrew Flower, who paid tribute to Test match cricket, will remain etched in the memory of millions of Indians and the Indian team which played the two-Test rubber in the Pepsi series.

The left-hander aptly represented the face of Zimbabwe's cricket in the last day of the second and final Test here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium. There is a South African connection to him, in the sense that he was born in Cape Town, while his younger sibling, Grant was born in Harare.

Andrew Flower's relish for runs that began at the Feroz Shah Kotla ended here with a classic century that made him a heavy weight performer with the bat in this series.

He made 183 not out and 70 in the first Test and 55 and a match- saving undefeated 232 here for a grand aggregate of 540 runs, which must be bigger than any batsman's effort in four consecutive Test match innings in India.

There were several records he notched on the way to his first double century which gave him an entry into the elite `Zimbabwe 200' club of David Houghton (266), Guy Whittal (203 not out) and Grant Flower (201 not out), but more significantly his campaign shut out any possibility of India pressing for a win.

Zimbabwe's second innings effort was perfectly in keeping with the run of play after India made 609 and Zimbabwe made 382 in its first innings, but Zimbabwe's second stint in the middle stretched long enough to keep India on the field for a few minutes in excess of nine sessions which ought to be close to the time India spent on the field when Sri Lanka made 952 in Colombo in 1997.

And finally, century for Campbell

Of the many exceptional performances that emerged out of this second Test, the most fascinating and superior display was by Andrew Flower and to an extent his younger brother, Grant. There was a remarkable first century in Test cricket by Alistair Campbell, who gave up captaincy only to pay attention to his batting.

It is hard to believe Campbell had not scored a century in his previous 46 Tests. He was helped to his feat in the very first over after India claimed the second new ball.

A batsman who is quite capable of punching shots above waist height was thrown in a few half volleys by Javagal Srinath and the left hander's downswing slammed the ball with the full face of the bat through cover, straight down the field on the off side and on off side.

In a jiffy, Campbell was enjoying the rewards for having played the role of a bullwark and punishing batsmanship. After taking 14 runs off Srinath's first over with the shining Kookaburra, he dared to pull Zaheer Khan from in front of his face.

The result was a firm and catch to Sunil Joshi in front of square.

The real worth of Andrew Flower must be seen in his brilliant tactical show after he and Campbell had put on 209 for the fourth wicket in seven minutes past four hours.

The 32-year-old himself had gone down the pitch and carted Joshi over mid wicket, pulled the spinner from outside the off stump to reach one run short of his ninth century. A single took him there, but soon he changed gears, when brother, Grant joined him.

In less than four hours, Andrew Flower had made his century with 14 fours and two towering sixes. In Test cricket, a feat like this is considered a fine effort, but Andrew Flower had commenced his second innings when Zimbabwe was 61 for three on Tuesday afternoon and when the brown-coloured `patka' clad, Sarandeep Singh was trying to attract and snare a few more batsmen in his web. In the context of the Test match, the Indians might have been humming a few notes assuming to be on the road to victory. But Andrew Flower, threw down the gauntlet and started the process of turning it all around.

Andrew made it obvious of his role he would play when he was joined by Grant. His and Campbell's run gathering and big stand had not taken Zimbabwe to safe waters and hence he decided to block one end while letting the right hander Flower enjoy making free shots, that looked jolly good, when he whipped Zaheer Khan and Srinath and came down the pitch on his twinkling toes to clobber Joshi over long on. Andrew might have been concerned after Campbell's dismissal; the Zimbabwe former captain might have admonished himself and was face down for a few seconds before he walked slowly to the pavilion.

India's captain has been the prime motivating force behind Joshi. He tossed the ball to him after Khan and Srinath had bowled seven overs with the second new ball. The sheer sight of Joshi as he turned near the bowling crease appeared to be an invitation to charge down the pitch which Grant did. He mistimed a shot that Sarandeep - fielding at mid-off - tried to reach at deep extra- cover. Joshi had his moment in his 47th over of the match. He had Grant edge to Ganguly at slip. His exit at 292 for 5 meant that Zimbabwe was ahead only by 65 runs and with another five hours remaining and India appeared to be cock a hoop.

The two teams had lunch at 290 for 4 and within minutes after, Grant's wicket had gone down, leaving Andrew Flower with another left-hander Dirk Viljoen. It was now that both showed spirit and character, Viljoen in particular. He had given valuable support to Grant in the first innings, but here on a blazing afternoon, Viljoen was willing to take blows on his body and helmet.

Zaheer Khan's angled delivery bowled from over the wicket and wide of crease hastened off the pitch and Viljoen took the first rising ball deliberately on his body. The second and third time he turned his face and took his eye of the ball which struck the helmet, the ball cupped by Ramesh at slip the second time. Viljoen was lucky to survive on zero; the ball from Joshi hit Viljoen's bat and flew past the short leg Shiv Sunder Das. It has become a habit for the newcomers to be positioned there and Das was too late in taking off to take the catch. The Zimbabwe's score then was 295.

The sixth-wicket pair added 113 runs in more than two and half hours. This was a good enough sign that the match would not have a result. At the other end Flower had checked himself from reverse hitting and sweeping for a long time, but he did do it, twice off Joshi and once each of Sarandeep and Tendulkar. He did not attempt a big shot for ten overs and between his 14th and 15th fours, which conveyed the man's intent to save the day for his side. Thereafter he held his own, making room for the cut and sweeping the spinners, rolling his wrist on top of the ball. He virtually eliminated all risks and reached his 150 in six and half hours.

Sarandeep met with success again when he had Viljoen caught at slip by Ganguly, but by then India had resigned itself to the inevitable, with Heath Streak packing power behind his straight six and with the prospect of Andrew Flower making a bigger effort looming large.

Andrew had batted for nine hours and four minutes to make 232 not out at which point of time Streak and Ganguly brought conclusion to the second Test after the fifth mandatory over. It was a heroic effort by Andrew Flower which Ganguly commended, saying, ``If a batsman batted like that as he (Andrew) did, you cannot say much about it. I have never seen a batsman reverse sweeping in the last five years.'' No way can be Andrew Flower's display put down as an act of defiance. As he himself said: ``I played normal cricket and played the reverse shot at certain stages. I learned it from Dave Houghton. I was lucky at New Delhi, but here it was all normal.''

Andy walks away with both awards

The batsman who built the edifice at the Kotla and here was named the Man of the Series' and the `Man of the Match'. ``There was lot of fighting spirit in his effort. It was an outstanding innings,'' said Streak, who is hopeful of keen contests in the five one-day internationals.

India was the only team that could have won the Test after it bowled out Zimbabwe in the first session on Tuesday. The lost opportunity cliche did not sound well with Ganguly who was in line to become the first Indian captain to win his first three Tests. Sarandeep had success in his first Test, but his feat was not as unforgettable as Andrew Flower's 287 runs made in the last three days. In each of the three Tests, Zimbabwe has played in India, he has scored a century. But his brilliant application of mind to carve an unbeaten 232 will for ever, rank as a top-notch effort. The essence of it all was he played for his country and the flag. Is it not ?

The Flower fragrance

Andrew Flower's 232 not out is the highest by a wicketkeeper batsman in Test cricket. The previous record was held by Taslim Arif of Pakistan. He made an unbeaten 210 against Australia at Faisalabad in 1979-80. He and Grant Flower are the second instance of brothers scoring a double century. The first pair to do so was Hanif Mohammad and Mushtaq Mohammad of Pakistan. His 232 is the fourth highest by a visiting batsman. The other batsman were all West Indians. Rohan Kanhai made 256, Faud Bacchus 250 and Clive Lloyd 242. His effort was also the highest by a visiting team's batsman batting at No. 5 and also the 201st instance of a batsman scoring a double century.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Australia posts win
Next     : Approach the future with a clarity of thought