Yesterday, the West Indies were one wicket away from a victory over Zimbabwe that is crucial to the well-being of their southern Africa tour. Two teams unnerved by the prospect of a rare triumph contrived to lose 18 wickets for 205 runs on the day through batting unworthy of Test standard on a worn but hardly difficult pitch. Seeking to improve their abysmal record of 25 defeats in their last 33 overseas Tests since 1997, the West Indies' second innings disintegrated, as it has repeatedly done at various points on the compass around the world, for 127. Even then, it took an unlikely eighth wicket partnership of 45 between Omari Banks and Merv Dillon, the Nos. 8 and 9, to carry it past the 103
that is the lowest Test total against Zimbabwe (by Pakistan at Peshawar in 1998) and the 119 that is the lowest at the Queen's Sports Club ground. To go with their first innings lead of 104, it still amounted to a challenging winning target of 233 for Zimbabwe.
They had amassed 503 for nine declared in the first innings of the
drawn first Test in Harare and 377 in the first innings here but had never managed to score more than the 162 for six against India in Harare two years ago to win. The prize of their first victory over the West Indies and their first after 11 losses in their last 12 Tests proved too great a psychological barrier. Even against an attack limited by the absence of its fastest bowler, Fidel Edwards, with the ankle injury that sent him from the field on the
second day, Zimbabwe limply submitted in the face of opponents whose intensity was obvious and understandable in their whooping celebrations at the fall of every wicket. Nine wickets fell for 90 from 41 overs - two to the amiable medium-pace swing of Wavell Hinds, three to Banks' off-spin - before the gathering
gloom, that matched the mood of a previously noisy, multi-racial crowd of around 3,000, ended play with 12 overs play still available. Only the weather, more than the last wicket pair of captain Heath Streak and Blessing Mahwire, can realistically save them but, even with a heavy loss, they have pressed the West Indies in both Tests and exposed continuing technical and tempermental weaknesses in the team. Resuming at 13 for one, the familiar West Indian demise featured careless strokes that cost Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan their wickets, an inswinging yorker from Streak that plucked out counterpart Brian Lara's middle-stump and the inevitable error or two by umpires who have had an
indifferent match. Ganga, ideal as the supporting role for the stroke-makers around him, seemingly got his instructions muddled.
Without addition to his overnight score, he drove Andy Blignaut's last ball of the third over of the day on the up to be caught
shoulder-height at cover. When Streak's unstoppable ball undid Lara after half-hour, the Zimbabweans knew they were back in the match.
Delivered from round the wicket, it swung in late, went under the
left-hander's expansive backlift and took out middle-stump. As Lawrence Rowe once observed of a particularly lethal ball from Jeff Thomson, even God couldn't have played it. It left the West Indies 21 for three and energised the Zimbabweans. Streak, Blignaut and left-arm spinner Ray Price worked their way through the order and, at 82 for seven, the West Indies were in danger of falling for double figures. Sarwan was in for just over an hour for 9 when he essayed a flashing drive at a wide one from Blignaut and edged it to first slip. Six balls, and no runs, later, the left-handed Hinds was ruled caught at short-leg off Price by umpire Simon Taufel for 28. He left rubbing his forearm. TV replays were not unhelpful.
After resisting for just over half-hour, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was dealt his second raw deal in the match by Rudi Koertzen, given lbw to a ball from Streak that pitched outside leg-stump. Once again, the umpire did not consider his angles. Jacobs followed to a low leg-slip catch off Price six balls later, exposing the bowlers.
Banks, the tall, 21-year-old Anguillan, made his first contribution of the day in his partnership with Dillon that held up Zimbabwe for an hour and 20 minutes in which 45 more runs were added to their requirement before the last three wickets went for one run.
While Dillon lifted Price over mid-wicket for six and over mid-on for one of his four fours in his unbeaten and invaluable 27, Banks played with orthodox confidence for 16 until he prodded Price's faster ball to silly point. Corey Collymore and Edwards, appearing for the first time since he left the field on the second day for treatment to his inflamed ankle, lasted eight balls between them without contributing to end the innings, leaving Dillon stranded with 27. It was now Zimbabwe's turn to nervously collapse, as they did for their all-out 63 in Port-of-Spain when given 99 to win in the inaugural Test between the teams in 2000 and have done several times since. Vusi Sivanda, the 20-year-old opener in his second Test, was out to Dillon in the first over and, by tea, they had declined to 33 for three. There was no coming back against opponents desperate to put their narrow escape in the first Test behind them and carry the confidence of a victory onto their tougher tour of South Africa that follows. Hinds' medium-paced swing accounted for first innings century-maker Mark Vermuelen, who dragged an off-drive back into his stumps for 24, and for Craig Wishart who was only six short of his hundred then. Wishart was undone by the drive to Hinds' outswinger that brought his
donwfall in the first innings of the first Test. This time it deflected wider to Chris Gayle at second slip and onto the alert Ridley Jacobs to hold the rebound. Banks removed Trevor Gripper to a prodded catch to short-leg with the third ball of his first over on the stroke of tea, the opener failing to make the most of a reprieve on the TV replay for a low catch to Jacobs off Collymore before he had scored. Banks also accounted for Stuart Carlisle, to Jacobs' catch, as he played inside an off-break outside off-stump, and for the left-handed Andy Blignaut, who got his angles wrong and was lbw padding away the first ball Banks bowled from round the wicket. Stuart Mazakenyeri was run out from point by the alert Edwards, on the field but unable to bowl until he served the 90 minutes he missed, and Collymore used inswinging yorkers to deal with Tatenda Taibu and Price. By now, the light was fading fast under heavy overhead cloud, as it had done on each of the preceding three days, and the West Indies knew time was running out to finish the job and eliminate the last day. They tried for 20 minutes but couldn't dislodge Streak and last man Blessing Mahwire. So they have come back this morning for the final rites.