After the euphoria of last Monday’s Great Escape at the Queen’s ParkOval, stark reality returned to West Indies cricket after two days ofthe second Test against Zimbabwe

Tony Cozier26-Mar-2000After the euphoria of last Monday’s Great Escape at the Queen’s ParkOval, stark reality returned to West Indies cricket after two days ofthe second Test against Zimbabwe.Twice they have held the initiative against their plucky, but limited,opponents. Twice, they have lacked the resources and the self-beliefto retain it.This time, two of the heroes of Port-of-Spain and so many Testsbesides, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, suddenly looked their ageand the batting looked as lacking in technique and confidence asusual.Likely to have to chase a target on the last day on a hard, bare pitchthat will progressively wear, they face a potentially difficult fightover the remaining three days.With their last specialist batsmen in and only wicket-keeper RidleyJacobs and the negligible fast bowlers left, they ended yesterday 108for four replying to Zimbabwe’s 308, their first total over 300 in 12Tests.Zimbabwe showed characteristic spunk to achieve their position, evenin the absence of their main strike bowler, Heath Streak. He was kepton the physio’s table with back muscle spasms throughout the WestIndies innings that has laboured for 58 overs and included a revealing24 maidens.There is no Shoaib Ahktar, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne or even AndyCaddick in their attack, but they could have been bowlinghand-grenades for all the respect they were given by the timid WestIndian batsmen.The absence of Brian Lara is having an understandable effect but thereis an overall lack of enterprise that is depressing.The contest was evenly balanced when play resumed with Zimbabwe 220for five. They had broken free of the grip of 40 for three at thefirst lunch break through the positive partnership of 166 between thecentury-maker, Murray Goodwin, and captain Andy Flower, but had againbeen shackled when the two were dismissed off successive balls in theclosing overs of the opening day.Heartened by their aggression and late swing on the previousafternoon, Jimmy Adams again preferred his younger fast bowlers, ReonKing and Franklyn Rose, to his two stalwarts. The ball was only tenovers old and still hard and shiny and King and Rose tightened thescrews again with compelling fast bowling of a full-length and directline.The captain kept them going for 21 overs together as they lookedcertain to limit Zimbabwe to a total of around a manageable 250.Both swung the ball late and sharp, Rose especially, and looked likelyto take a wicket almost every ball.King did take three to add to his two of the previous day and returnhis first five-wicket haul in his fifth Test – five for 51 from 23overs.Only temporary cramp held him up for any time before he finally cameoff.He had the left-handed Alistair Campbell lbw, playing uncertainly fromthe crease, in his second over, scattered Streak’s stumps with a fast,straight one and had the swinging Bryan Strang spectacularly taken,high above his head, by the leaping Ridley Jacobs.Rose’s only success was the nightwatchman Brian Murphy, bowled by aleg-stump yorker. He deserved more.When Adams finally summoned his tried and trusted stalwarts, neithercould make an impression as Carlisle and Olonga comfortablyaccumulated their runs, frustrating not only the West Indians on thefield but the 12 000 jammed into Sabina Park ready to witness Walshcreate history.Olonga thumped the shot of the match, an extra-cover driven boundaryoff King, and it was 25 minutes into the final session before Walshhad Strang caught behind for his 432nd Test wicket.Now there are only three more to go to pass Kapil Dev’s record but, onthis evidence, Walsh must surely consider his future after that.The crowd’s noisy exuberance of the morning had subsided by the timethe West Indies replied and it remained muted as the inadequatebatsmen battled to come to terms with their own limitations and thediscipline of the Zimbabwean bowling.The standard for the struggle was set by the immobile left-handedopener Adrian Griffith.Out for a first-over pair to Streak in the first Test, he was soovercome by wariness that he spent an hour-and-a-half and 74 ballsover four scoring shots for six.The Zimbabweans could sense the tension in their opponents’ brittlebatting that they dismissed for 187 and 147 in the first Test and thatis bereft of any class player now that Brian Lara is taking hisdisruptive sabbatical.The Zimbabweans pinned them down to fewer than two runs an over and,for long periods, stalled them completely. Of the 58 overs, 24 weremaidens.Wickets were the inevitable consequence.Essaying a rare attacking stoke, Griffith dragged one from NeilJohnson back into his stumps and trudged off as if carrying the worldon his shoulders. His successes in New Zealand now seem eons ago.He was replaced by Chris Gayle, in his first Test on his home ground.He started with a thumping off-driven boundary off leg-spinner Murphybut edged his 35th ball to wicket-keeper Andy Flower off Henry Olonga,as he seemed likely to do throughout his stay.Sherwin Campbell, the only right-hander in the first seven in theorder, showed some aggression with nine boundaries in 48 before he wasbrilliantly taken at slip at 85, cutting Murphy.The catcher was his namesake Alistair, who had missed a far easieroffering off Johnson when he was 16.The score hadn’t moved for another 32 balls when Andy Flower was againcalled into action to gather in Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s snick in thefifth of five successive maidens of Bryan Strang’s accurate, butgentle, left-arm swing. It has become a familiar method.Captain Adams and his fellow left-hander Wavell Hinds batted throughto stumps but they were no more convincing than those who had precededthem.