A round-up of the third set of matches in the SLC Inter-Provincial Tournament 2009-10

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Apr-2010Offspinner Sachithra Senanayake continued his outstanding form for the 2009-10 season by bowling Ruhuna to their first win in the Inter-provincial four-day tournament. His haul of eight wickets coupled with a career-best knock of 89 off 108 balls enabled Ruhuna to thrash Wayamba by an innings and 63 runs at Colts Cricket Club.Ruhuna never lost their grip on the game after dismissing Wayamba for 161. Sri Lanka one-day opener Mahela Udawatte’s pleasing knock of 90 off 106 balls was the only redeeming feature of the Wayamba innings. Despite interruptions due to bad weather, Ruhuna managed to build a substantial first-innings lead of 298, through contributions from Geeth Alwis who scored 123, and half-centuries from Sri Lanka’s only uncapped player in their World Twenty20 side Dinesh Chandimal and Senanayake.Wayamba, once again, fared disastrously in their second innings to be dismissed for 235, with the major contributions coming from Jeevantha Kulatunga (85) and Shalika Karunanayake (95 n.o.). Senanayake picked up four wickets in each innings and was well supported by fast-medium bowler Tharanga Lakshitha, who ended up taking seven wickets in the match. Senanayake has captured 113 wickets so far in all three forms of domestic cricket for Sinhalese SC and Ruhuna and has been one of the most prolific wicket-takers for the season.Basnahira North went to the top of the table with their second win of the tournament, getting the better of their southern rivals Basnahira South by eight wickets in Moratuwa. Their first-innings lead of 97 proved crucial, as they were left to chase only 163 in the fourth innings.An unbroken third-wicket stand of 118 between Dimuth Karunanayake (84) and Kaushal Silva (52) saw them home. Basnahira South were put out for totals of 224 and 259, rocked by the pace of Sri Lanka Test fast bowler Dammika Prasad who took 6 for 74 in the second innings and eight wickets in the match, and the offspin of Sachitra Serasinghe, who took four wickets in the first innings.In-form opener Dilshan Munaweera reached his second successive century, scoring 136 off 109 balls to give Basnahira North the edge. Munaweera is the leading run-getter in the tournament so far with 412 at an average of 101. Basnahira North, led by Sri Lanka one-d ay batsman Thilina Kandamby, remain the only unbeaten team in the competition with two wins and a draw, and their current form indicates they are firm favourites to win the title.

Gloucestershire were left on the brink of their third consecutive County
Championship win after rain and bad light wiped out 22 overs on the third day at
Bristol

12-May-2010
Scorecard
Gemaal Hussain found life tougher going in the second innings after picking up three cheap wickets in the first•Getty Images

Gloucestershire were left on the brink of their third consecutive County
Championship win after rain and bad light wiped out 22 overs on the third day at
Bristol.Leicestershire’s last-wicket pair of Jaques Du Toit and Matthew Hoggard safely
negotiated 79 balls to leave their side 282 for 9 at the close after
following on. That meant a lead of just eight runs.Openers Paul Nixon (63) and Matt Boyce (62) were the main contributors, while
Anthony Ireland (three for 84) was the most successful bowler. Leicestershire faced a backs-to-the-wall fight from the start of a day which began with them 122 without loss, but still 152 behind.Boyce could add only three to his overnight score before the ninth ball of the
morning saw him caught by Alex Gidman at first slip to give Gemaal Hussain his
30th Championship wicket of the season.It was 125 for one and after four runs had been added there was a break for
rain in which eight overs were lost. Nixon was in no mood to surrender his wicket lightly on the resumption and scored only three runs in the first 15 overs of the day before edging Anthony Ireland for a boundary.The total had moved to 150 for one at lunch, with Nixon having progressed from
an overnight 50 to 58. Having added five more to his score after the interval,
the veteran wicketkeeper top edged a pull shot off Ireland and was well caught
by Will Porterfield at backward square.Nixon had faced 205 deliveries, but his colleagues could not match his
application. Andrew McDonald had made only 12 when hooking a short ball from
Gidman down the throat of James Franklin at deep square.Will Jefferson had dropped down the order to number five because of a twisted
ankle and had to bat with a runner. He was lbw for nine driving at Jon Lewis to
make the score 205 for 4.That was the first over with the second new ball and it soon brought another
breakthrough as, without a run added, James Taylor was bowled playing a loose
shot at Franklin, having played well for his 39.Franklin took his second wicket when Tim New, on nine, was caught low in the
slips by Chris Dent after edging a drive. At 219 for 6 with the ball still
new, Leicestershire were staring down the barrel of defeat inside three days.Du Toit and Claude Henderson did their best to avoid that ignominy, putting on
27 before more rain wiped out a further 10 overs. That partnership extended to
54 before Henderson (29) cut Ireland to the diving Chris Taylor at point.Nathan Buck followed next ball, pushing forward to Ireland. Andrew Harris
failed to trouble the scorers, but Gloucestershire could not force a win, even
though Gidman claimed the extra half hour, which bad light curtailed with a
possible four more overs remaining.

A stunning late assault from Darren Sammy couldn’t prevent South Africa sealing a 17-run victory set-up by fifties from Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis in a high-scoring game at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta24-May-2010

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnce Chris Gayle fell to Morne Morkel, South Africa looked to have the result certain•Getty Images

A stunning late assault from Darren Sammy couldn’t prevent South Africa sealing a 17-run victory set-up by fifties from Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis in a high-scoring game at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium.The match had looked all but over after West Indies had slipped to 236 for 8 in the 45th over, still 65 short of their target but Sammy launched six sixes and two fours on his way to the fastest ODI fifty by a West Indian – from 20 balls. He took the equation to 18 needed off 13 but successive run outs sealed a tense result that had looked a formality for almost the whole game.Earlier South Africa batted with typical efficiency to post 300 for 5. There was no Sammy-style assault on the bowling at any point in their innings, instead slowly and methodically they advanced to an imposing position. Amla pierced the off-side ring with a series of punchy drives early on, before working the ball around with total ease to progress serenely to 92 of 95 balls. Kallis was similarly authoritative, making 85 from 89 balls with just four fours. With David Miller underlining his promise to finish the innings with a quick-fire 26, South Africa reached the 300 mark which looked well clear of what West Indies could chase.Chris Gayle, so often the inspiration in the Caribbean, lifted West Indies’ hopes with a couple of crunching blows early on – including one murderous thump over extra cover off Lonwabo Tsotsobe – but with his dismissal to Morne Morkel there was a collective groan as the vocal crowd realised their main hope of a contest had vanished.The reliance of the home side on their captain is similar to the days where Brian Lara’s fortunes determined West Indies’ but Sammy’s performance, alongside a skilful 74 from Dwayne Bravo, proved the pool of talent runs a little deeper.Ramnaresh Sarwan could have made a real difference, but in the over following Gayle’s fall, he pulled a hamstring running a sharp single and hobbled off the field. It left West Indies without a senior batsman and with question marks lingering over the fitness of a number players in the side. Sarwan had been left out of the team for Zimbabwe’s tour in March on fitness grounds and he hasn’t returned in top condition. Dale Richards, into the side for Andre Fletcher, struggled through the second half of his innings with a pulled muscle himself and earlier Nikita Miller was forced off in the middle of his third over with a rib injury.Each blow proved important as West Indies ultimately fell short. For all the West Indies’ self-inflicted faults, South Africa were impressive. The local supporters must have recognised something faintly familiar about Morkel’s performance. Until Sammy got hold of him at the end Morkel recalled memories of local-boy Curtly Ambrose, as he used his long levers to extract bounce that no other bowler could find on his way to three wickets.Through the middle overs West Indies’ middle order were choked, not only by the quality of South Africa’s bowling and fielding, but by their lack of deftness and ability to work singles. The contrast with Amla and Kallis could not be more apparent. Narsingh Deonarine, batting ahead of Bravo, picked the fielders with frustrating frequency before ending his own anguish by chipping Tsotsobe tamely to mid on.Richards, meanwhile, though never looking dominant, had worked his way to 51 and shared a useful partnership Bravo, but could never quite resist the vice South Africa were slowly closing on his side. His dismissal brought Kieron Pollard to the wicket with West Indies pleading, once again, for a big-hitting miracle. By the time the Batting Powerplay was taken in the 36th over, West Indies needed 9.53 an over and Pollard ended up toe-ending Steyn soon after to be smartly caught by Johan Botha sliding in off the long on boundary.It was Bravo who first gave something for the home crowds to cheer about – and set an example for his team-mates to follow. His 74 came quicker than a run a ball but featured just three fours. He ran superbly and almost laid the foundations for an unexpected victory. His dismissal brought a vaguely farcical scenario where Sarwan took an eternity to drag himself on to the field, only to fall first ball and hobble all the way back off.At that stage the game was as good as done but Sammy had other ideas. He took to his impossible mission with gusto but ended up crestfallen as Miller – using Pollard as a runner – attempted a single to Smith at cover, only for Smith to throw down the stumps and secure a result Sammy had almost ambushed.

Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team including Brian Lara against Pakistan, at Lord’s, on June 27 to mark the start of their tour of England

Cricinfo staff10-Jun-2010Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team that includes Brian Lara against Pakistan at Lord’s on June 27. The match marks the start of Pakistan’s tour of England, and is part of the MCC’s sponsorship of the neutral series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner.It will be the first time the MCC has played a Twenty20 match at Lord’s and the team also includes Chaminda Vass, who is currently playing for Northamptonshire, Ian Harvey and Victoria batsman Aiden Blizzard. Glenn Querl, an MCC Young Cricketer, who has played for the Unicorns in the CB40 this season is also included.”MCC is delighted to welcome to Lord’s a Pakistani side who have a proven track record in Twenty20 cricket,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “Shahid Afridi’s men will face an exciting MCC team comprising world class performers and up-and-coming talent.”Brian Lara is one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game and Sourav Ganguly is a world-leading Twenty20 cricketer. The match will provide spectators with a fantastic opportunity to see wonderful cricket and great cricketers.”Pakistan’s tour includes two Twenty20 internationals and two Tests against Australia before they face England in four Tests, two Twenty20s and five ODIs.

Richard Pybus has been appointed coach of South Africa’s Cape Cobras franchise for the next three years

Cricinfo staff07-Jul-2010Richard Pybus has been appointed coach of South Africa’s Cape Cobras franchise for the next three years. The English-born Pybus had earlier worked with the Pakistan senior team as a consultant and coach, and also had stints with Border and Titans in the South African domestic circuit.”We are thrilled to be able to have the services of a coach of Richard’s calibre,” said Andre Odendaal, the CEO of Western Cape Cricket. Odendaal said Pybus was chosen after an exhaustive selection process. “We had some excellent candidates but Richard has a remarkable CV and we believe he is the right man to help the Cobras achieve the goal of winning a higher percentage of trophies, while at the same time ensuring that the Western Cape continues to develop as a nursery of talent for South African cricket.”Justin Kemp, the Cobras captain, welcomed Pybus’ appointment. “It’s wonderful to have a coach on board with the track record of Richard. I know the structure and discipline he will bring to the Cobras will stand us in good stead. The success he achieved at the Titans was exceptional. With his assistance and guidance, we can hopefully continue the excellent standard of cricket we played this past season, and even improve upon it.”Pybus coached the Border senior side in 1998-99, during which they reached the finals of the SuperSport Series and Standard Bank Cup. Both achievements were firsts for the province. He was appointed as a consultant to the Pakistan team in 1999, when they reached the finals of the World Cup. He returned to Border but took charge of Pakistan as head coach until after the 2003 World Cup. He was head coach for the Titans between 2005-06 and 2008-09, during which time the franchise won six titles in four seasons. He was appointed coach of Middlesex in February 2007 but five months later quit citing personal reasons. He was later named the 2009 South African Coach of the Year.

Michael Clarke insists his promotion to No. 4 makes no difference to his game despite the added responsibility of moving one step closer to the top of the order

Brydon Coverdale in Leeds19-Jul-2010Michael Clarke insists his promotion to No. 4 makes no difference to his game despite the added responsibility of moving one step closer to the top of the order. Clarke has spent most of his career at No. 5, but having been Australia’s best middle-order player over the past 12 months, he has shifted up a spot at the request of the captain Ricky Ponting.Clarke’s previous stint at No. 4 was short and unsuccessful; after the 2005 Ashes he was handed the role when Damien Martyn was dropped, but he lasted only three Tests for scores of 39, 5, 5, 14 not out and 5. Then came Clarke’s own axing from the side, and when he returned to the team six months later, he was reinstalled down the order.”Ricky came and grabbed Michael Hussey and myself at training the morning of the Derby game and told us what was happening,” Clarke said ahead of the Leeds Test. “For me it hasn’t fazed me. When I was younger I cared more about the position I batted. After getting dropped from the Australian team, for me it was always just about being the team, it doesn’t matter where I bat.”Before the series Ponting said the change, which involved Hussey moving to No. 5, was about getting one of his most in-form batsmen in as early as possible. Clarke’s highest Test score is the 168 he collected in Hobart against Pakistan in January and he is hopeful that batting higher in the list he will have the opportunity to bat for longer periods.”You probably get in a little bit earlier against the newer ball and if you make a big score, you can probably make a really big one, knowing you’ve got at least one more batter behind you,” Clarke said. “But my role doesn’t really change, you play the same way. Conditions dictate how much fast bowling you face compared to how much spin you face. I haven’t changed my game at all because I’m batting No. 4.”Clarke has reasonably good memories of Headingley after scoring 93 there last year during Australia’s innings victory over England and the Australians will head to the venue in fine spirits this time after beating Pakistan at Lord’s. The Pakistan side will have a new captain, Salman Butt, after the surprise retirement of Shahid Afridi, and Clarke said he would be missed.”Losing your captain would be quite a change, but in saying that he hasn’t played that much Test cricket over the last five years anyway,” Clarke said. “Afridi has been a wonderful player for Pakistan. He’s played a lot of cricket, especially one-day cricket and has a lot of experience, and I think he’ll be missed in the Test cricket as well.”

MS Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference that they were toying with the idea of picking a specialist batsman in place of the struggling Ravindra Jadeja

Siddarth Ravindran27-Aug-2010India are considering playing an extra batsman in Saturday’s final following a slew of collapses in the tri-series. MS Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference that they were toying with the idea of picking a specialist batsman in place of the struggling Ravindra Jadeja.”If we feel the wicket is dry and not hard then Jadeja will get a spot,” Dhoni said, “but if we feel it won’t help the spinners and we feel like playing an extra batsman then Jadeja will have to miss.”Allrounder Jadeja has been the preferred option at No. 7 for the past couple of months, but he has not contributed much with the bat on the difficult Dambulla tracks either in the Asia Cup or the current tri-series. The absence of Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, both of whom are capable batsmen, has weakened India’s ability to resist down the order when the specialists fail.”In this tournament the lower order looks completely different because you don’t have Harbhajan Singh who bats at No.8 and you don’t have Zaheer Khan who bats at nine,” Dhoni said. “They are two batsmen who can score a few runs. When it comes to the four batsmen who we have right now… they have not been able to score, but it won’t be justified to put the blame on them because they are in the side for their bowling and they are doing that job.”Virender Sehwag has been the architect of both of India’s victories in this tournament, scoring nearly as much as the rest of the team. “I don’t want to put pressure on Sehwag since he is a free-flowing cricketer,” Dhoni said. “He is a natural aggressive cricketer. So he should back himself and bat the way he bats.”India reached the final after their pumped-up quick bowlers demolished New Zealand’s batting on Wednesday. “Last game there was lot of intensity and we are hoping that in tomorrow’s match also there is enough intensity,” Dhoni said. “First 15 overs and last 10-12 overs and Powerplay is important. In the middle if the intensity drops down a bit it is okay but at the start of the game it sets up the tone for the whole match.”Right through the tournament, Dhoni has stressed on the need to give the opposition bowlers respect in the initial stages of the innings. “I think this has been a series of ups and down not only for our batsman but for all the three teams that have participated. The new ball spell has been important. It will be crucial not too lose too many wickets early. How you do that is not important, whether it looks good or doesn’t.”On Saturday, Dhoni will be looking to win his fifth successive one-day series in Sri Lanka as captain. Calling correctly at the toss helps. “We have won many tosses; in the series before the Asia Cup when we had come to Sri Lanka, at the Premadasa, we won four tosses out of five,” he said. “Before it we had played the initial part of a series in Dambulla, where again we won several tosses. In this tournament we have seen that the toss is not the factor like in the earlier series.”

It was, unarguably, by any measure reasonable or unreasonable, the biggest win in the hitherto limping Lions franchise’s history, and Alviro Petersen knew it

Telford Vice10-Sep-2010There is plenty to ponder when a David like Alviro Petersen breathes the same rarefied air as the Goliath who is Sachin Tendulkar. And the Highveld air was indeed rare at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, where Petersen’s Lions played Tendulkar’s Mumbai in the Champions League Twenty 20 opener.Lo and behold, David’s dapper dazzlers stuck to the Biblical script by slaying Goliath’s giants by nine runs. Let the atheists among us quiver in disbelief: look in the Book. It was, unarguably, by any measure reasonable or unreasonable, the biggest win in the hitherto limping Lions franchise’s history, and Petersen knew it.”It’s a great start,” he said after the game. “It’s all we could ask for. We were underdogs, but we were a family out there. On paper, the Mumbai Indians are probably the better team. But we focused on what we had to do and our bowlers came through beautifully in the end.”Tendulkar did his bit with a sparkling 69, but it wasn’t enough on the night. Not that Petersen was about to admit that the Mumbai skipper was an unusually large thorn in the Lions’ paws. “Whether we play against Sachin Tendulkar or just an ordinary guy, we play with the same intensity.”For all that, Petersen has first-hand knowledge that Tendulkar is anything but ordinary. They first met on the field in Kolkata, in February this year, when the South African marked his Test debut with an innings of 100. Tendulkar made 106, the 47th of his 48 centuries in the 166th of his 169 Tests.Neither had a memorable first one-day international in Jaipur, but the second match of that series, in Gwalior, will forever be remembered as the game in which Tendulkar took one-day batting into a galaxy far, far away with his monumental 200 not out. Petersen scored nine.The trend looked set to continue at the Wanderers on Friday. In the fourth over of the Lions’ innings, Petersen and Jonathan Vandiar scooted for the same end of the pitch. Petersen was declared dead on arrival for 12 when the bails were removed leisurely at the other end.Tendulkar looked dead in the water for six when Ethan O’Reilly struck him plumb in front in the second over of the Indians’ reply. Asoka de Silva was among the few in the ground who reckoned otherwise. A blink of an eye later, Tendulkar was bumbling about mid-pitch when a frozen rope of a throw whizzed past the stumps. “I just put it behind me and thought about the next ball,” Petersen said about the near miss. “The next ball is the important thing.” Three overs of next balls after that, a shy that might have run Tendulkar out for 18 hit him instead.By the time Shane “Cheese” Burger knocked out two of Tendulkar’s stumps, in the 15th over, the momentum was firmly with Mumbai. Only for Burger to snatch the advantage back for the Lions by yorking Kieron Pollard, a ball after the West Indian had launched him over long-on for six. JP Duminy and R Sathish also became casualties as the Lions surged to their famous victory.”Hats off to the Lions bowlers. They were exceptional in the last four overs. Until then, we were very much in the game,” said Duminy, who had been sent to the post-match press conference instead of his captain. “He [Tendulkar] played extremely well, but it’s a team sport and we all have to chip in. Unfortunately, we ended up a few runs short.”Vandiar, who rose from the ashes of his moment of madness with Petersen to score a 71 that bristled with pugnacity and verve, showed he has a few things to learn about diplomacy off the field as well as on it. Asked what he thought about batting as well as he had against an attack studded with bowlers of the stature of Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh, Vandiar said, “They’re world class, but they’re just guys.”Petersen, who went to some trouble to explain that his team remained the tournament underdogs, despite their fine win, might want to have a word with the youngster about that. After all, the Lions captain has up close and personal knowledge of what world class players can do.

Marcus Trescothick believes the motivation of playing at Lord’s in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final can help inspire his players

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's17-Sep-2010Marcus Trescothick believes the motivation of playing at Lord’s in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final can help inspire his players to bounce back from the disappointment of seeing the County Championship title clinched by Nottinghamshire. It is Somerset’s last chance to take something from an impressive season, but the Warwickshire coach Ashley Giles is intent on making it a weekend to forget for his former England team-mate.The Somerset squad were shattered on Friday evening after watching Nottinghamshire clinch the Championship crown with the final ball of the competition when they claimed the third wicket they needed against Lancashire to earn a third bonus point. After being held to a draw by Durham at Chester-le-Street, Trescothick’s team had to watch the big screen at the ground and await their fate before making a quick dash to Newcastle airport to fly to London for the one-day final.Somerset had already experienced coming a narrow second-best this summer after watching Hampshire take the Friends Provident t20 title by losing fewer wickets at The Rose Bowl and, despite being the most consistent county unit throughout the season, they face the prospect of having no silverware to show for their efforts.”It was a massive day and the disappointment was pretty tough, but we talked a bit last night and had a flight down from Newcastle,” Trescothick said having reflected on the Championship for a few hours. “But just coming here lifts the mood immediately, getting into the changing rooms, seeing the ground – the best in the world – it picks you up pretty quickly and we’ve not had to say a great deal to the boys. They are all ready to go.”It’s almost the best scenario to get right back into it and play such a big game. I think if we had time to dwell on it for a few days then it would probably last a bit longer. The effect of playing the CB40 is that we have to get straight back up, there’s no other option. The boys have turned it around pretty quickly.”Standing between Somerset and a trophy is an in-form Warwickshire team who enjoyed the final day of the Championship when they secured victory against Hampshire to retain Division One status. Despite having played most of his England career alongside Trescothick, Giles only has one interest in his mind and that’s making sure the Taunton trophy cabinet stays empty this winter.”Somerset, runner’s up twice, it’s our job to make sure it’s three,” he said. “I feel sorry for Marcus, but sympathy ends tomorrow when we arrive back at Lord’s.”Warwickshire will be boosted by the availability of Jonathan Trott, after he was released from one-day duty by England, and he will form a strong top order with Ian Bell who will captain the side and Neil Carter who is in line for county cricket’s Most Valuable Player award. Alongside an in-form Chris Woakes and the legspin threat of Imran Tahir, Warwickshire have plenty of weapons to challenge Somerset although Giles is happy if the opposition remain favourites.”We seem to be the underdogs all the time which suits us, people forget we’ve only lost three 40-over games in two years,” he said. “We took the competition seriously last year where others saw it going out and I think that’s helped us this year.”The reduction of the main domestic one-day tournament from 50 to 40 overs for this season provoked much debate because the international game remains the longer duration. And even among the two teams who have reached the final there remained a split opinion.”The international game is 50 overs and I think you have to have a domestic structure that mirrors it if we want to produce players for 50-over cricket,” Trescothick said. “Having said that I like 20-over cricket, but sometimes it’s a little short and 40 overs is pretty good for the crowd.””When we first talked about it there was some resistance but I think it’s been a brilliant competition,” was the view of Ashley Giles, who also wears his England selectors’ hat. “There’s no dead cricket and scores have gone through the roof. Last year 230-240 was a good score but guys are getting 300 regularly now. We’ve moved the game on and the tempo is closer to 20 overs than 50 overs.”The crowd at Lord’s on Saturday will hope the 40-over season is crowned by another high-scoring encounter.

New Zealand A bowled themselves into a position of control on the third day of the second unofficial Test, making Zimbabwe A follow-on, and then picking up four second-innings wickets to leave the hosts struggling

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2010
Scorecard
New Zealand A bowled themselves into a position of complete control on the third day of the second unofficial Test, making Zimbabwe A follow-on, and then picking up four second-innings wickets to leave the hosts struggling to save the game.Malcolm Waller and Forster Mutizwa, who had steadied the innings on the second day after Zimbabwe had stumbled to 61 for 4, were going to be crucial if they were to avoid the follow-on. The duo began positively, adding 41 in the first six overs. However, Chris Martin struck a huge blow when he bowled Mutizwa for 47 with the first ball of the day’s seventh over. Zimbabwe slipped further in the next over, when Waller was run out by Martin Guptill for 53, while attempting a third run with the follow-on mark still 229 runs away.Timycen Maruma resisted with an aggressive half-century, slamming six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 62 off 78 balls, but lacked support from the other batsmen. James Franklin ran through the lower order, finishing with his 14th first-class five-wicket haul, as Zimbabwe folded up for 256.They began promisingly in the follow-on innings with a 51-run opening stand. Brent Arnel, who was getting some movement off the seam, got the breakthrough, getting Tino Mawoyo caught by Tim McIntosh in the slips. Mutizwa was promoted three places to No. 3, and had motored along to 36 before Arnel struck again, getting him caught by Jamie How, again in the slips. Arnel then dismissed opener Steve Marillier, who had batted patiently for his 50. Punjab-born Auckland offspinner Bhupinder Singh removed Vusi Sibanda late in the afternoon to compound Zimbabwe’s woes as they slipped to 155 for 4.Zimbabwe’s hopes now rest on Waller, who remained unbeaten on 15, and Charles Coventry, yet to come in, if they are to save this match.