Flower leads Zimbabwe to morale-boosting win

Faridabad, November 15: Three sporting declarations to provide excitement and thrill to the game finally had its effect on the outcome of ...

Faridabad, November 15: Three sporting declarations to provide excitement and thrill to the game finally had its effect on the outcome of the three-day warm-up game between the touring Zimbabweans and the Board President’s XI at the Nahar Singh Stadium here today.

Accepting the home team’s sporting target of 262 off 55 overs, the tourists warmed up for the forthcoming first Test against India at the Kotla here on Saturday with a morale-boosting four-wicket win, with 1.1 overs to spare. Andy Flower led the way with a 93 off 103 balls as Zimbabweans responded to the challenge with their positive batting.

The exciting finale was set by Board President XI captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who declared his team’s second innings at 183 for two, three overs into the post-lunch session. Zimbabwe responded to the challenge by throwing their bats around to the great delight of a small, but veciforous crowd at the Nahar Singh Stadium.

Story continues below this ad

Gavin Rennie, who made 79 in the first innings, ensured his place for the Delhi Test with another polished knock (71) in the second essay. Rennie hit eight boundaries and two sixes while sharing a third-wicket stand of 115 with Andy Flower that propelled Zimbabwe towards victory.

Flower smashed 12 fours and two sixes, before falling six runs short of his second century on the tour. Stand-in captain Guy Whittall (26 not out) and Mluleki Nkala (22 off 19 balls) ensured the effort of the top-order batsmen was not wasted.

Left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi finished with three wickets.

Earlier, the Board President’s XI took their overnight score of 52 for no loss to 183 for two with all-rounder Virender Sehwag top-scoring with 58. Opener Ricky made 44 before chasing a wide delivery to be caught. Skipper Kanitkar remained unbeaten on 33.

Board President’s XI (1st Innings): 314-5 decl.
Zimbabweans (1st Innings): 236-5 decl.
Board President’s XI (2nd Innings): R. Rickey c Strang b Nkala 44; V. Dahiya retd 23; A. Kale c A. Flower b Nkala 14; H. Kanitkar not out 33; V. Sehwag not out 58; Extras (b6, nb5): 11; Total (for 2 wkts decl): 183.
Fall of wickets: 1-91, 2-92
Bowling: Olonga 11-1-44-0, Nkala 15-7-27-2, Friend 7-2-26-0, Murphy 15-3-35-0, G. Flower 2-1-1-0, Strang 4-0-44-0.
Zimbabweans (2nd Innings): G. Flower b Saxena 4; G. Rennie c Kale b Kapoor 71; S. Carlisle c Abbas b Sanghvi 18; A. Flower c Kanitkar b Sanghvi 94; T. Madondo c Kanitkar b Sanghvi 17; G. Whittall not out 26; M. Nkala run out 22; P. Strang not out 4; Extras (lb3, nb3): 6; Total (for 6 wkts): 262.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-50, 3-165, 4-197, 5-220, 6-256
Bowling: Mohanty 10-3-35-0, Saxena 7-0-29-1, Sanghvi 16.5-0-93-3, Kapoor 15-2-55-1, Kanitkar 2-0-20-0, Sehwag 3-0-27-0.

Delhi Traffic Police issue advisory for Dussehra, Ramlila from today: Check timing

Cities19 min ago

As the festival season sets in with Dussehra, and devotees are expected to flock to Ramleela Ground and the Red Fort areas, the Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory Sunday, saying they will close some routes from Monday until October 3.

View all shorts

Live Blog