Random Cricket Photos Post 28



The setting was that of Lord’s. Zimbabwe had put Jimmy Adams’ West Indies behind to find a place in the final of a tri-series to face hosts England in the final of the NatWest Series in 2000. In fact, they were the table toppers in the league stage and had secured a place in the final more than 10 days before it was held at Lord’s.

With the likes of Flower Brothers, Murray Goodwin, Alistair Campbell, Neil Johnson as well as the ever-reliable Heath Streak in their ranks, Zimbabwe began as favorites, especially against an English side that hadn’t won an ODI series for two years.

But after the eventless first over, a minor oversight made things happen.

The first ball Darren Gough bowled took the edge of Guy Whittal’s bat and was pouched easily in the slips. Nothing wrong with that. Only that the sight screen behind Gough was set up for a left armer and not a right armer, which possibly resulted in Whittall having to sight the ball from the crowds behind him and not the black sight screen as it should have been. Never an easy task for any batsman. When new man Goodwin walked in to play his final ODI for Zimbabwe, he noticed the help Gough had received inadvertently from the Lord’s pavilion attendants. He signalled and got the sight screen to shift to its right position before taking guard.

In the fifth over, Gough had sent him packing as well with an in-swinger that snuck between his bat and pad. With the wicket of Streak, the Yorkshire man ended with figures of 3-30.
The beginning of the end had truly begun for Zimbabwe who folded up for 169. England chased it with ease with skipper Alec Stewart top-scoring for them.

Was Whittall’s dismissal that started the slide because of the mistake? Could things have possibly been different had the sight screen been in its correct place? Well, one can never really know.
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/ALLSPORT

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