As the Logan Cup resumed for the final three rounds, all four teams were
weakened by the unexpected appearance of Zimbabwe in the Sharjah final
John Ward11-Apr-2003As the Logan Cup resumed for the final three rounds, all four teams were
weakened by the unexpected appearance of Zimbabwe in the Sharjah final.
Most had hoped they would return in time to play, although Matabeleland were
planning to rest them from this match.It was a warm, cloudless autumn day in Kwekwe as Barney Rogers, stand-in
Matabeleland captain, won the toss and decided to bat on what looked like an
good batting pitch with the potential to take spin. There was some movement
in the air and off the seam early on, but Midlands did not have the bowlers
capable of taking advantage of it.Charles Coventry is one of Zimbabwe’s most promising and confident young
batsmen, and an outside possibility for the tour of England if he has a good
Logan Cup season. Opening the batting for his native Matabeleland, he raced
to 24 off 21 balls before being caught off David Mutendera, who is still
struggling to recover from his appalling bowling form of earlier in the
season. Basically a one-day player, Coventry still has to develop into a
genuine batsman in first-class cricket.There followed a sound partnership between Mark Vermeulen, back after his
head injury in the World Cup, and Ryan King, back in the Matabeleland side
after a prolonged period of poor form. King was doing well until being
given out under controversial circumstances. Vermeulen pushed a single to
reach his fifty, and after completing the run King thoughtlessly started
back the pitch to congratulate his partner, only to find wicketkeeper
Alester Maregwede removing the bails and appealing along with Don Campbell.Umpire Ahmed Esat raised his finger in accordance with the laws of the game,
but many felt this dismissal was not in the spirit of the game. Mr Esat
later described King’s indiscretion as `silly’ and said there was no mercy
to be expected in the first-class game, but did say he queried with the
Midlands team whether they really wished to claim his wicket in this way.
They insisted they did, but Midlands chief executive Ken Connelly was not
happy about it, and neither were the spectators. King did earn himself some
credit, as he walked off quietly without histrionics or unduly harsh words
either on the field or in the dressing room.Campbell himself, a former wicketkeeper, had a bad day in the slips, and at
least three chances went down in that region, which was no encouragement for
the long-suffering bowlers on a sound but rather slow pitch. Vermeulen for
the most part seemed to set his stall out for a major score to enhance his
England chances, playing few flamboyant strokes but accumulating steadily.However, he ran himself out just before lunch in a mix-up with his partner,
turning for a third to find Barney Rogers uninterested, and the throw from
the boundary just found him adjudged short of his crease. Unlike King, he
flung his bat twenty metres on being given out and swore audibly. Both
run-out incidents this morning showed the need for a match referee; although
he would not have overturned the King decision, he could at least have given
the players some insights into the spirit of the game. Legal it undoubtedly
was, but it does the game no good when certain methods of dismissal cause
outrage among opposing players and spectators.The Matabeleland middle order made Midlands suffer in the sun during the
afternoon session, as a big partnership between Andre Hoffman (79 not out)
and Gavin Ewing (65 not out) flourished, taking the total to 342 for four at
the tea interval.Rogers moved smoothly to his fifty soon after lunch, but was then dismissed
for 52, trying to shoulder arms to medium-pacer Vusi Sibanda but only
managing to nick the ball to the keeper.Andre Hoffman, after a slow start, suddenly decided he liked the look of
Dirk Viljoen’s left-arm spin and hit him for two successive sixes, over
long-off and long-on. He continued his enterprise beyond his fifty, while
Gavin Ewing was just as aggressive and when Mutendera returned to bowl his
first over went for 21 runs. A couple of difficult chances were missed, but
the weak and inaccurate bowling suffered severely and there was no respite
for the home side.The partnership realized 192 before Hoffman, having just reached his
century, fell for 102. It was the first delivery with the second new ball,
bowled by Vusi Sibanda – debutant Anthony Ireland took the other end – after
the dismal failure of Mutendera and Sherezad Shah with the first. The extra
pace and bounce apparently took Hoffman by surprise and, going for the cut,
sliced a catch to Viljoen at slip. Matabeleland were now 382 for five.Shortly afterwards Ewing reached his century with a bold straight six off
Ireland. Keith Dabengwa, whose batting at first-class level has rarely
matched his ability, enjoyed the experience of playing a tired, weak bowling
line-up on a lifeless pitch and played some good-looking drives, while Ewing
showed no signs of laxity. They saw Matabeleland through to the close, when
the team was an imposing 498 for six wickets, Ewing on 154 and Dabengwa 33.
