Cricket News: Zimbabwe year to remember (2 January 1999)

2 January 1999

Cricket News: Zimbabwe year to remember

By Frank Wheeldon

THE 1998 Test match year ended on a high note for England with the dramatic victory in Melbourne. It was also a year in which England won a five-Test series, against South Africa, their first since the 2-1 victory over Australia in 1986-87.

Zimbabwe, aided by the fog in Lahore and Rawalpindi, won an overseas series for the first time in their short cricketing history. The West Indies lost three consecutive Tests again, against South Africa, as they had at the end of 1997 against Pakistan.

In February, Pat Symcox and Mark Boucher broke the Test record for a ninthwicket partnership when they added 195, for South Africa against Pakistan, in Johannesburg.

Mark Taylor equalled the highest score by an Australian player when he scored 334 not out against Pakistan in Peshawar and was acclaimed for declaring rather than attempting to overhaul Sir Donald Bradman's score. A world record was set by Ian Healy when he overtook Rodney Marsh's total (355) of dismissals by a wicketkeeper when he caught Wasim Akram in the Rawalpindi Test match.

Other landmarks were reached during the year with Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh passing 7,000 runs and Shane Warne passing the 300 wickets mark. Mike Atherton passed 6,000 runs and Shaun Pollock achieved the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. Courtney Walsh took his total of wickets to 391, overtaking Malcolm Marshall's West Indian record, and closing in on Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev, who finished with 431 and 434 respectively.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)