Whittall wallops WI

CANTERBURY, JULY 11: Guy Whittall made the most of his promotion to open for Zimbabwe by plundering 83 against West Indies to equal his hi...

CANTERBURY, JULY 11: Guy Whittall made the most of his promotion to open for Zimbabwe by plundering 83 against West Indies to equal his highest score in One-Day Internationals on Tuesday.

Whittall, normally an attacking middle-order batsman, replaced injured regular opener Craig Wishart and spurred Zimbabwe to 256 for four off their 50 overs after being put in by West Indies in the triangular series one-day match.

Missed three times 8212; on 40, 49 and 80 8212; Whittall capitalised on his good fortune to make his runs from 111 deliveries, hitting five fours, as he equalled his previous best of 83 against Kenya in Nairobi in 1997.

Whittall8217;s innings blossomed after a relatively low-key start when he was overshadowed by fellow opener Neil Johnson 51, but it reached its peak when he and Alistair Campbell, who struck an unbeaten 77, put on 96 for the third wicket off 103 balls.

Johnson was instrumental in giving Zimbabwe a rapid start as he took advantage of some wayward new-ball bowling, square cutting crisply when Corey Collymore repeatedly dropped short, and driving fluently as he reached his half-century frrom 61 deliveries.

Whittall played the secondary role as he and Johnson raced to 50 off 49 balls, though the withrawal of Collymore in favour of fellow paceman Mervyn Dillon helped to check the run rate before the stand ended at 89 off the last ball of the 19th over.

Whittall pulled Franklyn Rose towards deep mid-wicket from where a fine pick-up and throw by Wavell Hinds ran Johnson out at the striker8217;s end as the batsmen went for a third run. Johnson faced 68 balls and hit five fours.

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Chris Gayle, whose flat off-spin had contained England effectively in the rain-ruined match at Lord8217;s on Sunday, again did a tidy job, and bowled Murray Goddwin between bat and pad for 16, making Zimbabwe 118 for two in the 28th over.

Whittall, whose half-century came off 75 balls, found a reliable ally in the Left-handed Campbell, who followed his man-of-the-match innings of 80 against England at The Oval on Saturday by making his 77 off 78 balls.

ZIMBABWE

N Johnson run out 51
G Whittall c Hinds b Rose 83
M Goodwin b Gayle 16
A Campbell not out 77
G Flower c Campbell b Rose 6
A Flower not out 7
Extras: b2, lb7, w7 16
Total 4 wkts, 50 overs 256
Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-118, 3-214, 4-229

Bowling: McLean 8-0-46-0 2W; Collymore 7-0-40-0 1W; Dillon 10-1-44-0; Rose 10-0-47-2; Gayle 10-0-42-1 1W; Adams 5-0-28-0 3W