Canterbury hold advantage in tour match destined for draw

Gary Stead had a dream day as Canterbury took control of the second match against shell-shocked tourists Zimbabwe.

Stead said it was "one of our better days' performances over the whole season," as Canterbury declared at 330/5, and reduced Zimbabwe to 112/4 at the close.

In sharp contrast to Stead's pleasure at his first century against an international team were the fates of teammate Nathan Astle and Zimbabwe's Grant Flower.

Astle, playing under orders from the selectors to find his batting form, edged a ball to the keeper after just three overs of the morning session. He again failed to move his feet and showed the weaknesses he displayed so often in the recent Test series in South Africa.

Flower, a key man in the Zimbabwe team, looks set to be out for the Test which begins on Boxing Day, having fractured a finger while fielding off his own bowling. He did not return to the ground from hospital, suggesting a serious injury and a major blow to his team's Test prospects.

After play had begun half an hour late due to a sodden outfield, caused by an overnight electrical storm, Astle went early to Zimbabwe's only potent bowler, paceman Henry Olonga, who finished with 3/78.

Gareth Hopkins came in and with Stead saw the team through to lunch without further alarm at 258/5, with Stead 58 and his partner 24. After the interval the partnership exploded into action, with 72 runs coming in 16 overs of admittedly tame decaration bowling. It was during this period Flower left the field in agony, his finger a crumpled mess.

Having reached 100 in 173 balls (the second 50 taking just 69), with Hopkins going to 50 (off 104 balls) in the same Viljoen over, Stead made a planned declaration.

The Zimbabweans' hoped-for batting practice was detonated by Shane Bond's explosive opening spell of 2/8. Guy Whittall and Trevor Madondo were both caught at the wicket to make the score 11/2 after twelve and a half overs. Whittall was caught by James off Bond with the score on 007! Stead thought the team "bowled exceptionally well" on a pitch "with not much pace to it".

After tea, taken at 33/2, the ten-man tourists collapsed further, with Rennie holing out and Wade Cornelius taking his maiden first-class wicket, Dirk Viljoen being caught behind second ball. Earlier, Astle's wretched match had continued when he dropped Gavin Rennie off Cornelius at second slip in the fifth over with only seven on the scoreboard.

At last one Zimbabwean showed his true class when youngster Douglas Marillier took to the flighted spin of Redmond. He and the uncomfortable looking Mluleki Nkala saw off the fast bowlers, attacked for a while, then shut up shop, adding just 34 runs in 20 overs in the last hour.

Although the game seems destined to be a draw, having been taken as no more than a particularly serious type of practice match by most players, Stead has done his chances of a Black Cap recall no harm. As he says: "All I can do is keep getting runs [he has 368 at an average of 90 this season] and trying to embarrass the selectors into picking me."

He expresses "no preference" to where he bats, preferring to "do what is best for the team". Incidentally, he was never going to stand down for this game as he had never played against the Zimbabweans before and thus was keen to make the starting XI.

What price, if Astle or McMillan fail again in the forthcoming test, he might make the next international starting XI?