WEST INDIES batsmen were again thrown into a state of panicky paralysis when their captain was dismissed and failed to raise a modest winning total of 230 in losing the third One-Day International yesterday to inspired Zimbabwe by 21 runs.
Following the defeat by six wickets in the second match in Bulawayo last Sunday, it gave the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and left the West Indies requiring victories on Saturday and Sunday at the same Harare Sports Club to salvage some satisfaction from what has been an unsatisfactory tour.
The key moment in the match was, once more, Brian Lara’s wicket. Responding to Zimbabwe’s 229 for five, in which the last two wickets added 144, he and Chris Gayle were making good progress after another shaky start with a third-wicket stand of 70 off 14.3 overs.
Lara, 34 from 45 balls, had stroked five fours when he was undone, as he was in the second innings of the second Test, by rival captain Heath Streak’s spot-on yorker, the third ball of a second spell.
The effect was similar to, if not quite as catastrophic as, when he was removed by another Streak yorker for one in the Test and by Andy Blignaut for two, with a similar full-length delivery, in Sunday’s loss in the second ODI.
In the first instance, the West Indies fell for 128 and had to depend on their bowlers to clinch a series-clinching victory. In the second, they collapsed to 125 all out, a trivial score they could not defend as Zimbabwe won by six wickets.
In contrast, when Lara amassed 191 in the first innings of the second Test, the West Indies totalled 481. His 113 and Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 153 saw them to 347 for six and victory in the first ODI.
Lara’s exit again depressed the scoring and energised the Zimbabweans who supported their disciplined bowlers with exceptional ground fielding and throwing.
He entered yesterday in the seventh over at 25 for two after Wavell Hinds and Ramnaresh Sarwan were out within six balls of each other.
Hinds presented two sensational strokes in the same over off Streak, an off-driven four and a clean six off the legs over long-on, but followed with a typically expansive drive off Blignaut that took a thin edge through to the ’keeper.
Sarwan, promoted back to No.3 where he had prospered on the tour of India and Bangladesh a year ago, continued his woeful tour with a first-ball “duck”, guiding a harmless outswinger from Streak to Tatenda Taibu.
Lara and Gayle were restoring the innings when Streak, from over the wicket, sneaked his yorker under Lara’s high backlift.
Gayle, 34 at the time, and Chanderpaul were confined to 25 off the next 9.4 overs, mainly by left-arm spinner Ray Price.
Price had yielded only 12 runs off seven overs when Chanderpaul, using the sweep to try to break the shackles, topedged to short fine-leg where Vusi Sibanda swooped backwards to claim the two-handed catch at full stretch.
Marlon Samuels batted as freely as anyone, gathering 25 off 19 balls that included an extraordinary flick off his legs for six off Blignaut.
At 164 for four in the 38th over, with Gayle solid and Samuels in touch, the West Indies were once more in the better position, needing 66 from 12.1 overs.
But one predictable instant of carelessness opened the way for three wickets by Blignaut in six balls for six runs.
Samuels was suckered by the oldest trick in the book, a bouncer that was obligingly hooked into the lap of deep midwicket, precisely placed for the inevitable shot.
Powell was yorked and Gayle, overtaken by events, was the third of Taibu’s four catches, managing only a fine edge to an intended square cut meant to be his eighth boundary off his 112th delivery.
The West Indies were 170 for seven and, if the presence of Ridley Jacobs, the saviour of so many lost causes, gave slim hope, the wicket-keeper was left unbeaten 25 and his 36th birthday was spoiled by defeat.
Sean Ervine, a lively medium-pacer, accounted for Vasbert Drakes and completed the job to the joy of another boisterous crowd of over 7 000 by claiming Corey Collymore lbw.
In between Streak had confirmed his Man-Of-The-Match award by bowling Merv Dillon, his third wicket. After Lara’s loss, the last seven wickets tumbled for 113, the last six for 44. Enough said.
Yet again, the batting had let the bowling down.
The decision to keep the attack to three main fast bowlers – Dillon, Drakes and Collymore – while carrying seven batsmen limited the ability to capitalise on an encouraging start.
Zimbabwe were 85 for four in the 24th over but, by then, Drakes had bowled through his ten overs, gaining one wicket.
Merv Dillon had six in an opening spell, for ten runs and Sibanda’s wicket. Hinds’ medium-pace despatched Trevor Gripper and Stuart Matsikenyeri but Lara had to turn to his occasional spinners.
It allowed Streak, in successive partnerships with Mark Vermuelen and vice-captain Taibu, to raise 144 from 26.4 overs that ensured Zimbabwe a challenging, if not daunting, total.
SCOREBOARD:
Zimbabwe
V.Sibanda c Powell b Dillon 11
T.Gripper c and b Hinds 17
M.Vermeulen b Powell 66
C.Wishart hit wk b Drakes 7
S.Matsikenyeri lbw b Hinds 8
H.Streak not out 65
T.Taibu not out 37
Extras (lb9, nb3, w6) 18
TOTAL (5 wkts – 50 overs) 229
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-53, 3-69, 4-84, 5-139
Did not bat: S.Ervine, A.Blignaut, R.Price, G.Brent