Essex (172) lost to Zimbabweans (175 for three) by seven wickets.
The Zimbabweans duly won their second successive one-day match with ease, following an eight-wicket victory over Sussex at Hastings with a seven-wicket win against Essex at Chelmsford, the scene of their World Cup triumph over South Africa last year.
After a day of brilliant weather at Hastings, Zimbabwe found themselves back to more typical English weather at Chelmsford for their one-day match against Essex - heavily overcast, although not as cold as it had been at Canterbury. Zimbabwe brought in Mluleki Nkala in place of Guy Whittall as the only change to the team that played at Hastings. Their invalids are making steady progress, although their physio has hurt his knee and faces a battle to be fit in time for the First Test! Essex decided to bat on winning the toss on a fair batting pitch which gave a little movement for seam bowlers.
Henry Olonga began with two no-balls and a wide that went for four in his first five attempts, but then his fourth legitimate delivery had Paul Prichard carving a ball moving away outside off stump, for Alistair Campbell to take a smart waist-high catch to his right at first slip.
Paul Grayson scored the first runs off the bat by turning Bryan Strang's first delivery to long leg for three, then, four balls later, Strang moved one back across Darren Robinson to trap him lbw, also without scoring.
Law did not last long either; he scored a two, but then drove half-heartedly at Strang, tried in vain to check his stroke, but only succeeded in lobbing a simple return catch. Opener Paul Grayson was next to
go, top scorer to date with 5 (apart from the prolific Mr Extras, in superb form on 13). Olonga produced a brilliant delivery, very quick, that ripped in to send his leg stump cartwheeling out of the ground, and Essex were 20 for four.
Danny Law played a fine stroke in the same over, driving Olonga wide of mid-on for the first boundary off the bat of the innings. In Olonga's next over he clipped him clear of midwicket for another four. Gradually he and Steve Peters appeared to be settling down and handling the bowling with more confidence, and Neil Johnson came on in place of Olonga.
Essex lost their fifth wicket to another run-out involving Peters, according to local observers, although it was more the fault of his partner
Law. Peters played a ball from Johnson out to midwicket, and Law came charging down the pitch in expectation of a run - which was probably there -
although it was not his call. After a summit conference in mid-pitch to discuss the matter, the ball was relayed to the bowler's end and Peters was
the man to go. He made 6, top scorer in Essex's top six, and Essex were 48 for five.
They could have been in considerably more trouble, as Law edged Johnson in the same over and was dropped off a difficult chance well to the right of
Campbell at slip; then new batsman Graham Napier skyed a ball from Brent to third man, where Dirk Viljoen running round put down the chance. Twice the
batsmen considered donating Zimbabwe another run-out but common sense got the better of them at the last minute. Napier appeared a bundle of nerves as he slashed and missed, and got away with two uppish attacking strokes; he then edged a ball from Johnson that fell just short of Goodwin at second slip. Suddenly, though, he burst out by hitting Johnson for a high six over midwicket, and in the next over swung Brent wide of mid-on, the ball just failing to clear the boundary.
Danny Law played some handsome strokes before he threw his wicket away, moving down the pitch to Viljoen, swinging cross-batted and being smartly stumped for 41. Essex were 99 for six, the pair having added 51 in 11 overs. Napier struck again with a six over midwicket off Viljoen, but two overs later swung a catch straight to Brent at midwicket and departed with
35 to his name; Essex 121 for seven.
Barry Hyam and Tim Mason shared a brief but entertaining stand, helped by some uncharacteristic Zimbabwe misfields. Mason (22) eventually holed
out, swinging Strang to leg and being caught quite easily by Grant Flower moving in from deep midwicket; Essex 162 for eight. Then Andy Flower hurt a finger standing up to Strang and had to leave the field, Alistair Campbell taking over the wicket-keeping gloves. Flower had taken a knock on the thumb he broke earlier this year, but there was in fact no lasting damage.
Ashley Cowan scored just two before driving Strang into the covers, where Stuart Carlisle picked up a low catch; Ricky Anderson also scored two before pushing a return catch to Strang, leaving Hyam not out on 22 and
Essex all out for 172 in the 48th over. Bryan Strang, generally ignored for Zimbabwe's one-day internationals, took four wickets for 22 runs. It was an uninspiring performance by Essex, but after those early wickets Zimbabwe did not look their best with the ball or in the field.
Zimbabwe, like Essex, got their innings rolling with the help of some extras, a wide by Cowan being followed by two sets of two leg-byes, both saved from reaching the boundary by some superb running and saving by Anderson, who still had enough energy left to bowl the next over.
The first runs from the bat came when Grant Flower stood up and lashed a short ball from Anderson to the point boundary. Next ball he pushed forward and edged a catch straight to Stuart Law at second slip and the
unpredictable Zimbabweans were 9 for one, the same score at which Essex lost their first wicket.
In his next over Cowan pulled up after bowling a ball to Johnson, having hurt his knee. However, he hobbled back to bowl again, and immediately sent down a wide - which some locals took as a clear sign that there was nothing wrong with him! Extras continued to thrive, with Anderson bowling a wide down the leg side which went for four. Leg-byes also flourished, and 14 of Zimbabwe's first 18 runs were extras, before Johnson
finally got off the mark by turning Anderson for two through midwicket.
Goodwin got off the mark with a fierce square cut for four off Cowan. He and Johnson dug in, taking no risks but waiting for the ball to hit. Johnson was able to play his off-side drives occasionally, while Goodwin
from time to time unleashed a cut or a drive square on the off side. But the Essex bowlers again struggled for accuracy and wides came regularly - extras were actually to total 38 by the time the match was over.
Johnson began to move into dominant mode, driving Napier straight for four, and then scoring successive boundaries off the erratic Danny Law to extra cover and point. But Napier, replacing him, finally beat and bowled him with a full-length ball as he went for an expansive drive, losing his off stump. Johnson made 41, taking over the role of top scorer from Extras
who was only on 27, and Zimbabwe were 99 for two.
Andy Flower came in and immediately placed his first ball, well wide off the off stump, away past cover for four. He continued to bat in masterly fashion, always seeming to have plenty of time to toy with the bowling and place it where he wanted - no difficult feat, considering the poor quality of most of the Essex bowling. The gentle paddle to leg, the masterly placement square on the off side, and the runs kept ticking over.
With Goodwin driving with aggression and sometimes with altitude, Zimbabwe were now rapidly approaching the none too testing target. A drive through the covers by Goodwin off Grayson took him to the only fifty of the match, but immediately after that he was superbly run out by Anderson; he went for a risky single to point, and the fielder moved like lightning and threw down the wicket at the bowler's end with the batsman still well short of the crease. Zimbabwe were now 159 for three.
Stuart Carlisle came in with 13 needed to win, with nothing to gain, and he was mainly interested in not getting out and leaving it to Andy Flower to score the necessary runs. This Flower duly did, driving Grayson
past a despairing mid-off for four and then stepping down the pitch next ball to drive him to the boundary wide of mid-on, and the match was over.
Zimbabwe had not been at their best, certainly in the field, but they were too heavy for either Sussex or Essex.
