da dobrowin： Andy Flower became only the second batsman in Test history, after JimmySinclair of South Africa against England in 1898/99, to score more than halfhis team’s entire run aggregate in both innings of a Test match when his side was bowled out twice
John Ward11-Sep-2001Andy Flower became only the second batsman in Test history, after JimmySinclair of South Africa against England in 1898/99, to score more than halfhis team’s entire run aggregate in both innings of a Test match when his side was bowled out twice. However, so little support did he receive from the majority of his team-mates that not even his Herculean efforts could prevent South Africa from gaining a victory over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club by nine wickets.Zimbabwe began the final day still 10 runs short of forcing South Africa tobat again, and with three wickets in hand, one of which was the pricelesswicket of Flower. It took 25 minutes to wipe out the deficit, whenFlower swept Claude Henderson for the first boundary of the day to take Zimbabweinto credit. A similar stroke later in the over took him past 150. ThenTravis Friend’s gallant vigil came to an end as he played inside a ball fromLance Klusener that didn’t turn, to be bowled for 17; 326 for eight.Flower passed the 156 that he scored in Zimbabwe’s first-ever Test victory,over Pakistan in 1994/95, his previous highest score on this ground, andreached 300 in a Test for the first time. He now became the highest scorerin a Test against South Africa, beating the 299 by Don Bradman in 1931/32.He lost Raymond Price for 4, caught off bat and pad from the slowoff-cutters of Klusener; 344 for nine. Klusener at this stage of the matchwas in fact the only bowler to cause Flower any trouble, beating the batseveral times and forcing him to play with care.Shaun Pollock took the second new ball and immediately Flower opened out,driving the first two balls to the boundary. While Douglas Hondo gallantlyblocked about two balls an over, Flower lashed at anything loose, reaching193 with a six over square leg off Jacques Kallis. On 198 he was forced toplay out a maiden over from Pollock, which included an lbw appeal that hewas perhaps fortunate to survive.With the first ball after lunch, bowled by Andre Nel, Flower was droppedhigh at slip. Later in the over he took a single, only for umpire Tiffin toanswer positively an lbw appeal against Hondo (6), which, if not dubious, wascertainly not straight-forward. Flower thus fell just one run short ofbecoming only the seventh player in Test history to score a single and adouble century in the same match, and the first to be stranded on 199 notout. He batted for a total of 879 minutes in the match.South Africa needed 78 to win, and were immediately rocked by the dismissalto the first ball of the innings by Boeta Dippenaar, trapped lbw by anoff-cutter from Travis Friend. Herschelle Gibbs, suffering from a backspasm, did not field during the morning or open the batting. AlistairCampbell took over the wicket-keeping gloves to rest Flower after hismonumental efforts with the bat.Friend again lacked accuracy, a failing that Kirsten exploited with relishearly on, and then Kallis hit him for four boundaries in a row. Scoring atfive runs an over, South Africa won forty minutes before tea with 33.4 oversin hand. Despite superb batting from Kirsten, Kallis and Gibbs, there couldonly be one choice as Man of the Match, notwithstanding the result.