da aviator aposta： After three days of the Second Test at Harare Sports Club, the matchwas still in the balance by the close, although solid batting secondtime round had perhaps given India a slight advantage
da marjack bet： John Ward17-Jun-2001After three days of the Second Test at Harare Sports Club, the matchwas still in the balance by the close, although solid batting secondtime round had perhaps given India a slight advantage. At 197 forfour, they were 119 runs ahead with six wickets left and threateningto leave the home side a difficult target.Zimbabwe began the day with a lead of 64 runs on first innings and twowickets left. Brian Murphy did not add to his overnight 17, drivingirresponsibly at a full-length ball from Harbhajan Singh in his firstover, when all that was required of him was support for Grant Flower,and lost his off stump.Brighton Watambwa came in with a runner, after his hamstring strain,and held firm, but Flower fell for 86, well caught low down by VVSLaxman at slip off Javagal Srinath. Zimbabwe totalled 315, a lead of78. With the strength of the Indian batting, this could be describedas no better than `useful’.Samir Dighe opened with Shiv Sunder Das for India second time round,but at first Zimbabwe’s opening bowlers wasted the new ball, failingto make the batsmen play all too often. Then Dighe (4) followed aball from Andy Blignaut outside the off stump and edged a catch towicket-keeper Andy Flower.Laxman did not look very comfortable at first and had a lucky escapewhen a miscued pull off Travis Friend lobbed high into a vacant areatowards fine leg. He immediately celebrated with two magnificentcover-driven boundaries, followed by a fierce pull for four and anoff-drive for three, all off Blignaut’s next over. Then he lashedFriend square and Murphy picked up a sharp ground-level catch atpoint. The umpire did not refer the decision to the third umpire; areferral under existing technology could not have given a decision intime, and umpire Asoka de Silva is to be congratulated on having thecourage of his convictions. Laxman was out for 20 and India were 32for two.Das and Tendulkar continued watchfully after lunch, steering Indiacautiously into the lead again and taking no chances. Zimbabwe bowledaccurately to an off-side field, finding quite a bit of swing, andscoring opportunities were not frequent as each side strove to weardown the other. Zimbabwe, one seam bowler short with Watambwainjured, were at a disadvantage here over the long term, and thedecision was taken to risk Guy Whittall’s dodgy knee by giving him aspell.Das has plenty of patience but Tendulkar restrained himself admirably,until in the thirties he felt settled enough to pull and cut Friendtwice for four in an over. He reached his fifty just before tea.Zimbabwe had little for which to reprove themselves during theafternoon session, except possibly some lack of imagination, but werenevertheless helpless as the balance of the match swung slowly butsteadily in India’s favour. Their approach seemed to be simply tobowl tightly just outside off stump and wait for the batsmen to make amistake, and India were batting with plenty of patience.In the final session some poorer bowling enabled India to restart withconfidence and the century partnership was reached. Das reached hisfifty with a neat cut for four through the slips, but then Tendulkar(69) chopped at a ball from Streak outside off stump, for it to flyhard and straight to Grant Flower in the gully.Thereafter the cricket slowed right down, as Zimbabwe continued toplay a come-and-get-me policy, using mainly their seamers and givingleg-spinner Murphy little work. Das came almost to a standstill,while Rahul Dravid played the odd exquisite stroke to the odd looseball. Had they stayed to the close, Zimbabwe would indeed have beenstruggling, but Andy Blignaut took the second new ball, due for thefinal over of the day, and had Dravid caught at the wicket for 26, amajor blow for Zimbabwe. Das finished unbeaten with 68.
