Zimbabwe make steady progress

It was an interesting day's cricket at New Road as Worcestershire played the Zimbabweans. The first session belonged to the county, the second to the tourists, and the third, more even, went slightly in favour of the county. In reply to Worcestershire's 262 all out, the Zimbabweans were 69 for 3 at the close.

The Zimbabwean tourists were treated to the renowned Worcester ground at its best on the first morning of their match against a side purporting to represent the county but, as usual against touring teams, without many of its leading players. The sun was shining warmly, the breeze was light and the scenery delightful.

The pitch, however, was a second-hand one, having been used before and with a definite worn patch at one end - not very satisfactory. The groundsman said that the usual flooding of the River Severn had not reached as far as the square this year and so there were fewer difficulties in early-season preparation.

Worcester is now the home of Graeme Hick, but he opted not to play against his former countrymen. The county won the toss and decided to bat.

Play began quietly, with some solid batting by Stephen Peters and Anurag Singh against some variable seam bowling by the Zimbabweans. Andy Blignaut, erratic at first, settled down and took the first wicket, when Singh (14) edged a ball to the left of gully, from where Grant Flower took a good diving catch. Peters quickly followed for 18, trying to shoulder arms to Blignaut, but instead knocking the ball right on to his middle stump. Worcestershire were 42 for 2.

After a brief, tidy opening spell by Heath Streak, Douglas Hondo got some lift to give the batsmen occasional problems. Unfortunate, none of them had the consistent accuracy to impose pressure on the batsmen, who only had to wait for the bad ball to prosper. Travis Friend bowled little better than his disasters in Zimbabwe at the end of last season, still planting the ball all too frequently in the wrong half of the pitch.

Vikram Solanki and Ben Smith were soon stroking the ball sweetly and picking up runs with ease, and Solanki slashed a long hop from Friend over third man for six. Fasting off the plethora of short deliveries and driving sweetly when the bowlers overpitched, Solanki raced to his fifty off 45 balls during the course of four boundaries in an over off Hondo.

Friend's disastrous spell came to an end with 43 runs off four overs - only for him to change ends, plant his first ball halfway down the pitch and present Smith with another boundary. Zimbabwe's chances were not improved when Streak left the field, reportedly with a slight back strain. At lunch Worcestershire were firmly in the driving seat at 155 for 2.

In rather more cloudy conditions after lunch, Worcestershire soon lost the wicket of Solanki, who appeared to throw it away; he leapt down the pitch to try to hit Raymond Price over the top and was easily stumped by Tatenda Taibu. The third-wicket stand had added 129, and this crucial wicket proved to be the turning point of the innings.

Smith, less flamboyant than Solanki, went on to reach his fifty off 76 balls. Kadeer Ali (10) never looked quite comfortable before he was caught at the wicket off Douglas Hondo in a remarkable over. Smith (53) fell in the same way two balls later, and then Gareth Batty was yorked first ball. Hero Hondo had taken three wickets in five balls, and Worcestershire were suddenly 188 for 6.

South African Andrew Hall led an aggressive recovery, in company with the more cautious James Pipe, until he gloved an attempted sweep off Flower and provided Taibu with his fourth catch of the innings, for 34. Again wickets came in threes, as Kabir Ali was foolishly run out by some distance without scoring, and a leading edge from Pipe (15) resulted in a fine diving return catch by Flower (241 for 9).

The last-wicket stand never lacked interest, as at first both Matthew Mason and Mark Harrity looked ready to get out at any moment. There was a dropped catch, a fluffed possible run-out, and then the boundaries, some of them rather rustic, began to come off the spinners. Finally another agricultural heave by Harrity (16) gave Taibu his fourth catch and brought the innings to an end for 262, with Mason unbeaten on 4.

Hondo, with 3 for 53, returned the best figures, while Blignaut and left-arm spinners Price and Flower took two wickets each.

It was then Zimbabwe's turn for suicidal batting, with the run-out of Dion Ebrahim off the first ball of the innings. Looking for a quick single for a push past the bowler, he was turned back too late by Mark Vermeulen and was left stranded. They are not the best-matched of opening pairs, as Ebrahim is a quick runner who nevertheless does not find it easy to work the ball for singles, while Vermeulen would far rather hit leisurely boundaries than hard-working singles.

Vermeulen scored only 11 before edging Kabeer Ali to second slip, leaving Stuart Carlisle and Grant Flower to counter the bowling of Kabeer and Harrity, who looked more dangerous than their own bowlers. Flower was caught at third slip off a no-ball after a painfully long time without scoring. Both batsmen battled for survival, beaten several times, and Carlisle survived another mix-up as negotiations broke down over a quick single, and then a dropped catch in the gully.

Gradually the runs began to come, although both batsmen struggled. Flower finally fell for a painful 18, caught low in the slips off Matt Mason (58 for 3). Carlisle (29) and Barney Rogers (1) survived until the close.