Carlisle leads the way for Zimbabwe

Stuart Carlisle celebrated his 31st birthday with the best century of his first-class career, a dogged marathon of 139 runs. He left the field unbeaten with the Zimbabweans on 296 for 8 in reply to Worcestershire's total of 262.

A brief light shower at about 10 am resulted in the start of play being delayed for 15 minutes. The Zimbabweans quickly lost the wicket of Barney Rogers, who dabbed at a ball from Australian Mark Harrity into the slips to depart for 4, leaving them on 75 for 4, having added only six to their overnight score.

Tatenda Taibu, as usual, looked to take the initiative, and hit one particularly superb cover drive to the boundary. Both he and Carlisle had to handle dubious light, though, conditions far removed from their normal experience. Carlisle moved slowly to his fifty, working hard for every run, and then the rain returned briefly.

Gradually after lunch the batsmen tried to accelerate, although whether it was wise to do so - against good bowling extracting movement off the pitch - was debatable. Carlisle got away with a top-edged hook over the keeper's head and a snick over the slips, both going for four, but these should not detract from an excellent innings of concentration and determination. Taibu too had a couple of narrow escapes, and had any of these blemishes gone to hand, there would have been an inappropriate end to a gallant innings.

Frustrated, the Worcestershire bowlers resorted to an overdose of short-pitched bowling, forsaking pitch movement. Taibu reached his fifty with a hard slash over the slips for four, and in the same over another slash over gully brought up the hundred partnership, which took 35 overs. However, within minutes he was on his way, caught at the wicket off Kabir Ali for 57. The Zimbabweans were 178 for five.

Andy Blignaut scored only 2 before he was brilliantly caught at first slip by Andrew Hall in the same over. Joined by Travis Friend, Carlisle began to open up, surviving a hard chance at backward point on 92, and brought up his first century in England in remarkable style, cutting a six off Kabir into the stands below the Worcester pavilion behind backward point. It took him 221 balls.

Friend too played a few handsome drives and Zimbabwe took the lead with six wickets down, an achievement that had not appeared very likely when play started. They survived the new ball until Friend was well caught at first slip for 39. Raymond Price made 5, but Douglas Hondo stuck around with Carlisle, who even now did not look fully in touch, playing and missing with some regularity.

Unlike many players in the modern era, the batsmen did not appear over-eager to leave the field as the light worsened, and were discussing the matter with the umpires when bad light dissolved into rain. The lost overs could not be made up, so Zimbabwe finished 34 runs ahead with two wickets to fall - although it is not certain Heath Streak, still suffering back spasms, will decide to bat.