Feature

Utseya joins Brandes, Rossouw joins Tendulkar

Plays of the day from the tri-series match between Zimbabwe and South Africa

Rilee Rossouw: Matches - 2, balls faced - 2, runs - 0, not outs - 0  •  AFP

Rilee Rossouw: Matches - 2, balls faced - 2, runs - 0, not outs - 0  •  AFP

The double-drop
Zimbabwe may have hoped for a change in fortune in the way they started the match; they kept South Africa quiet in the first four overs and then had the opportunity to make an early incision. Hashim Amla was on six when he pushed Brian Vitori's first delivery straight back to the bowler but the left-armer could not get his hands up in time to collect in his followthrough. Instead the ball hit him on the left-shoulder and lobbed up for mid-on. Elton Chigumbura slid in but he was too late and Amla survived.
The missed run-out
Letting Amla off twice in one ball would have been difficult for Zimbabwe to swallow but they gagged themselves further when they did it again. Amla was on 18 when he pushed a Tendai Chatara delivery to mid-off and set off for a run but found the bowler in his path. As he ran around him, the throw came in and had the non-striker's stumps been hit, Amla would have been out.
Amla's other life line
Giving Hashim Amla one chance can be costly, two chances reckless, three, suicidal and four? Well Zimbabwe found out. Amla's itchy feet continued in Chatara's next over when he inside-edged onto his thigh pad and sprinted a single, putting himself in danger as he headed to the non-striker's end again. John Nyumbu swooped in from mid-wicket and was close enough to run Amla out, but failed to hit the stumps.
Wicket of the day I
Zimbabwe seemed to be having one of those days until Chatara engineered a change in fortune with a spectacular catch. Quinton de Kock was on 75 and ready to take some risks when he reverse-swept Prosper Utseya over short third man, Chatara was stationed on the inner circle, back-pedalled and reached up one-handed to pluck the ball out of the sky. Chatara's momentum saw him tumble onto the back of his head but he did not let go of the ball.
Wicket of the day II
When South Africa are two wickets down, it's usually AB de Villiers walking out but because he sat out this game Zimbabwe were confronted with the less threatening image of Rilee Rossouw. Zimbabwe would have fancied their chances of nipping him out early - he was out for a duck on debut in his previous outing - but they may not have known how early. Utseya tossed it up, it turned and Rossouw, with nerves still jangling from last week, prodded tentatively. He got an outside edge to bring John Nyumbu into action at first slip, leaving Rossouw without an international run from two ODIs - same as Sachin Tendulkar.
Wicket of the day III
There had only been one previous occasion in which a Zimbabwean had claimed a hat-trick in ODIs - Eddo Brandes in 1997 against England. Utseya was 12 years old at the time but that probably was not going through his mind when he got ready to bowl to David Miller. He tossed it up again, Miller played for turn that was not there and was hit in front. Brendan Taylor, who was behind the stumps, John Nyumbu and Utseya went up immediately but Ian Gould took his time to make the decision before finally raising the finger. When he did, it was as though he had pulled a trigger on Utseya, who fell to the floor and began pedalling an imaginary bicycle.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent