Zimbabwe batsmen block Walsh quest

Zimbabwe's two best batsmen, Murray Goodwin and captain Andy Flower, combined with a lifeless pitch to spoil the opening day of the second Test for hopeful Jamaicans yesterday.

They led a recovery from 40 for 3 at lunch with an untroubled partnership of 166 before the muted crowd erupted in typical Caribbean celebrations when they were out to successive balls in the day's difficult closing overs against the second new ball as Zimbabwe finished on 220 for 5.

Goodwin, backing up too far, was run out at the bowler's end for 113, his second Test century in his 17th Test. Next ball, the left-handed Flower, palpably distraught by his partner's demise, offered no shot to a late inswinger from Franklyn Rose and had his off-stump sent cartwheeling, bowled for 66.

Nightwatchman Brian Murphy and left-hander Alistair Campbell survived another 10 balls before the umpires Eddie Nicholls and Athar Zaidi called and end to play four overs before time in the fading light.

It was a happy climax to a day of fluctuating emotions for a crowd of 7,000. They flocked to the ground in the confident expectation of seeing their favourite son, the veteran fast bowler Courtney Walsh, creating history as Test cricket's highest wicket-taker and he and his partners in pace repeating the destruction of the hapless Zimbabweans whom they had so dramatically routed for 63 in the first Test in Port of Spain last Monday.

They had to wait for just 40 minutes for Walsh to add to his collection. His leg-cutter that found the edge of Grant Flower's bat for a catch to the wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs drew him level with the New Zealander, Sir Richard Hadlee, on 431 and to within four of passing the Indian Kapil Dev's 434.

By lunch, the lively King had dismissed the opener Trevor Gripper and left-hander Neil Johnson, Zimbabwe were tottering and a happy afternoon was seemingly in store.

Instead, another wicket did not fall for another four hours as the pitch rapidly lost its early preparation moisture and reduced the West Indian fast bowlers who had been so devastating in Port of Spain to trundlers.

Goodwin, a compact right-hander raised on the bouncy pitches of Perth, Australia, his parents' adopted home, cut with relish in three-and-a-half hours during which he stroked nine fours.

Flower, a left-hander whose Test average of 45 places him among the élite modern batsmen, followed his unbeaten, first innings 113 in Port of Spain with another untroubled performance, hitting six fours.

Scorecard

First day; Zimbabwe won toss

Zimbabwe - First Innings

G W Flower c Jacobs b Walsh 2 T R Gripper c Walsh b King 11 M W Goodwin run out (Hinds/Adams) 113 N C Johnson c Gayle b King 0 A Flower b Rose 66 B A Murphy not out 0 A D R Campbell not out 0 Extras (b4, lb 11, w1, nb 12) 28 TOTAL (for 5, 85.4 overs) 220 Fall: 1-5 2-40 3-40 4-216 5-216. To bat: S V Carlisle, H H Streak, H K Olonga, B C Strang.

Bowling: Ambrose 18-7-26-0; Walsh 17-6-28-1; King 14.4-5-29-2; Rose 16-6-43-1; Gayle 9-0-35-0, Adams 9-2-32-0; Chanderpaul 2-0-12-0.

West Indies: A F G Griffith, S L Campbell, C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, J C Adams, W W Hinds, R D Jacobs, C E L Ambrose, F A Rose, R D King, C A Walsh.

Umpires: E A Nicholls and Athar Zaidi (Pak).