The nervous nineties, and vicious yorkers
Plays of the Day from the second day of the Bulawayo Test between Zimbabwe and Pakistan
Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo
02-Sep-2011
Kyle Jarvis couldn't keep out this yorker from Aizaz Cheema • AFP
The nervous nineties
Tino Mawoyo is a batsman who likes to take his time. He took nearly an hour to get out of the nineties and to his maiden Test century. Mawoyo resumed this morning on 82 and he raced into the nineties with two cracking shots, an elegant drive and a powerful pull. Then, he slammed on the brakes and started inching towards the century. The runs came slowly, a single to mid-on, a push past point and then, on 98, Mawoyo almost gave it away. He came down the track to a Saeed Ajmal doosra, which, after more than seven hours at the crease, he still could not pick. It went past the outside edge and Adnan Akmal had ample time to remove the bails, but the ball was caught between his wrists and he couldn't. Twenty-one balls later, Mawoyo inside-edged past square leg and was almost made to wait longer as it looked like a leg-bye. The run was eventually given and his hundred was finally up.
Tino Mawoyo is a batsman who likes to take his time. He took nearly an hour to get out of the nineties and to his maiden Test century. Mawoyo resumed this morning on 82 and he raced into the nineties with two cracking shots, an elegant drive and a powerful pull. Then, he slammed on the brakes and started inching towards the century. The runs came slowly, a single to mid-on, a push past point and then, on 98, Mawoyo almost gave it away. He came down the track to a Saeed Ajmal doosra, which, after more than seven hours at the crease, he still could not pick. It went past the outside edge and Adnan Akmal had ample time to remove the bails, but the ball was caught between his wrists and he couldn't. Twenty-one balls later, Mawoyo inside-edged past square leg and was almost made to wait longer as it looked like a leg-bye. The run was eventually given and his hundred was finally up.
Gift of the day
Ray Price is considered a dubious a No. 8 but, as Brendan Taylor said, he can hold a bat. He is still one of the most popular players in the Zimbabwe set up and when he comes to bat, there's bound to be fun. His swatted shot over midwicket for four was received with cheers that were outmatched only by the shouts for Mawoyo's hundred. The fans expected Price to stick around and were vocally annoyed when he popped a delivery up to short leg and was caught by a diving Azhar Ali. It was a fairly simple catch and allowed Pakistan to dig deeper into the tail, which wagged merrily for a while.
Ray Price is considered a dubious a No. 8 but, as Brendan Taylor said, he can hold a bat. He is still one of the most popular players in the Zimbabwe set up and when he comes to bat, there's bound to be fun. His swatted shot over midwicket for four was received with cheers that were outmatched only by the shouts for Mawoyo's hundred. The fans expected Price to stick around and were vocally annoyed when he popped a delivery up to short leg and was caught by a diving Azhar Ali. It was a fairly simple catch and allowed Pakistan to dig deeper into the tail, which wagged merrily for a while.
Yorker of the day
Aizaz Cheema had attempted to bowl some yorkers earlier in the innings but had not got many right, until he removed Kyle Jarvis with an absolute peach. It was a reverse swinging bullet that Jarvis tried to get his bat down to, but by the time he had done it, off stump was already dislodged. Cheema bowled a few more of these beauties, particularly to Mpofu, who he also removed with one that was pitched up and broke the furniture in emphatic style.
Aizaz Cheema had attempted to bowl some yorkers earlier in the innings but had not got many right, until he removed Kyle Jarvis with an absolute peach. It was a reverse swinging bullet that Jarvis tried to get his bat down to, but by the time he had done it, off stump was already dislodged. Cheema bowled a few more of these beauties, particularly to Mpofu, who he also removed with one that was pitched up and broke the furniture in emphatic style.
'Welcome to Test cricket again' shots of the day
Brian Vitori had to have a bad day in international cricket after his dream introduction against Bangladesh in the ODIs. It came today. First Taufeeq Umar clipped him off the pads for a four to fine leg but the real harsh welcome came from a feisty Mohammad Hafeez. He played a gorgeous drive through mid-off off the second ball he faced from Vitori, which really had very little wrong with it. Hafeez followed up with a better drive in the same region. Vitori said he knew it wasn't going to be easy, and against Hafeez, he saw how difficult it could get.
Brian Vitori had to have a bad day in international cricket after his dream introduction against Bangladesh in the ODIs. It came today. First Taufeeq Umar clipped him off the pads for a four to fine leg but the real harsh welcome came from a feisty Mohammad Hafeez. He played a gorgeous drive through mid-off off the second ball he faced from Vitori, which really had very little wrong with it. Hafeez followed up with a better drive in the same region. Vitori said he knew it wasn't going to be easy, and against Hafeez, he saw how difficult it could get.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent