BULAWAYO, 17 August 2005 — Nathan Astle struck an unbeaten 116 to put New Zealand in command against Zimbabwe after the second day of the second Test at Queens Sports Club yesterday.
Astle’s 11th Test century helped the tourists reach the close on 454 for seven in reply to Zimbabwe’s first innings of 231.
The 33-year-old hit 19 fours in 192 balls in a well-paced knock while opener Lou Vincent’s 92 and captain Stephen Fleming’s 65 were the other main contributions in New Zealand’s batting performance.
Fleming became the first New Zealander to reach 6,000 test runs during a third-wicket stand of 137 with Vincent. Heath Streak, Blessing Mahwire and debutant Keith Dabengwa took two wickets each for Zimbabwe.
New Zealand, who lead the two-test series 1-0, resumed on their overnight 48 for two and piled up a further 406 runs on a flat pitch against a mediocre Zimbabwean attack.
Fleming, who started the match 15 runs short of the 6,000-run mark, breached the milestone with a classy on-drive off fast bowler Streak in the ninth over of the day.
The New Zealand captain was fortunate not to be given out leg-before to Streak for 18 when he failed to move significantly forward against a delivery that pitched on his middle stump and held its line to strike the front pad.
Umpire Darrell Hair decided the ball would not have hit the stumps.
Fleming and Vincent seemed destined to reach their centuries after cruising through a morning session that yielded 132 runs.
However, they were separated 14 balls after lunch when Fleming, having struck 13 fours, played forward indecisively to medium pacer Mahwire and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu.
Six overs later, New Zealand were 205 for four when Vincent played across the line and was bowled by Heath Streak after an aggressive 92 that featured 14 fours and a six.
Streak seemed to have struck again when Scott Styris, on three, edged a ball to Taibu only for umpire Hair to signal no-ball.
Styris survived to share a steadying partnership of 87 for the fifth wicket with Astle before he drove loosely at a ball from Mahwire and was caught behind by Taibu for 45.
Astle and Brendon McCullum put on 54 in a brisk sixth-wicket stand before left-arm spinner Dabengwa claimed his maiden test wicket when McCullum was caught at slip by Brendan Taylor for 24.
Dabengwa struck again to end a seventh-wicket alliance of 93 between Astle and Daniel Vettori, who hit 48 before being spectacularly caught by a diving Taibu off an attempted sweep in the fourth last over of the day.
James Franklin was unbeaten on nine after a final session that produced 167 runs.
Sri Lankan Players Want End to Two-Test Series
In Centurion, South Africa, Leading Sri Lankan cricketers Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara have called for an end to two-Test series like the one they played against the West Indies last month.
Muralitharan and Sangakkara were speaking to media at Centurion after their first practice with the Asian team ahead of this week’s three one-day matches against Africa for the Afro/Asia Cup.
Sri Lanka celebrated a comfortable 2-0 series win over the depleted West Indians in the Tests played in Colombo and Kandy, but the pair told reporters a two-Test series was not a fair judge of the strengths of two teams.
“Test cricket is the most intense cricket you play and it is the best Testing ground for a player,” said wicketkeeper batsman Sangakkara said. “So these two-Test series should definitely be done away with.
I know there are commercial interests to consider, but all series should be a minimum of three Tests. Then both teams have a chance to get back into the series after the first Test.” Sangakkara added that he believed Test cricket still had tremendous appeal.
