The Hindu : Majestic knock by Wishart

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

Majestic knock by Wishart

HARARE Feb. 10. Opener Craig Wishart hit a commanding 172 not out to set up Zimbabwe's 86-run victory over Namibia in a rain-curtailed World Cup Group A match on Monday.

Rain halted play for the second time at 1940 IST and with no chance of resumption, the match was abandoned.

Facing a revised victory target of 325 in 46 overs, Namibia slipped from a flying start to 104 for five when rain intervened after 25.1 overs, well behind on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method for interrupted matches.

Former captain Danie Keulder was Namibia's top scorer, striking three fours in his 27 before he was brilliantly caught off a full-blooded cover drive by a leaping Dion Ebrahim.

The tournament minnows, playing in their first World Cup, won the toss but could do very little to stem the flow of runs as Zimbabwe piled up an imposing 340 for two in their 50 overs.

Opener Wishart narrowly missed out on the highest individual World Cup score as Zimbabwe cashed in on a good batting pitch and an inexperienced Namibia attack.

Wishart's 172 was the highest total by a Zimbabwe batsman in one-day internationals but fell short of Gary Kirsten's 188 not out for South Africa against the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup. Grant Flower finished unbeaten on 78.

SCOREBOARD

ZIMBABWE

M. Vermeulen c & b Louw 39

(66b, 8x4)

C. Wishart (not out) 172

(151b, 18x4, 3x6)

A. Flower c Karg b A. Burger 39

(29b, 3x4, 1x6)

G. Flower (not out) 78

(58b, 4x4, 2x6)

Extras (1b-6, nb-2, w-4) 12

— —

Total (for two wkts.

in 50 overs) 340

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-107 (Vermeulen), 2-174 (A. Flower)

NAMIBIA BOWLING

O M R W

Snyman 10 0 48 0

L. Burger 10 1 70 0

Kortze 10 1 74 0

Kallis 10 2 52 0

Louw 10 0 60 1

Kotze 7 0 55 0

A. Burger 3 0 23 1

NAMIBIA

R. Walters c Taibu b Streak 0

(1b)

S. Swanepoel c Streak
b Murphy
23

(48b, 2x4)

A. Burger c A. Flower
b Streak
26

(18b, 3x4, 1x6)

D. Keulder c Ebrahim
b Whittall
27

(44b, 3x4)

B. Murgatroyd c Wishart
b G. Flower
10

(27b)

L. Burger (not out) 4

(10b)

D. Kotze (not out) 5

(3b)

Extras (1b-1, w-8) 9

— —

Total (for five wkts.

in 25.1 overs) 104

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Walters), 2-40 (A. Burger), 3-80 (Swanepoel), 4-94 (Keulder), 5-98 (Murgatroyd)