Harris spins South Africa A to huge win
Left-arm spinner Paul Harris and fast bowler Andre Nel led South Africa A to victory by an innings and 219 runs against Zimbabwe Select on the final day at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo
Cricinfo staff
18-Aug-2007
South Africa A 542 (Amla 142, Dippenaar 189) beat Zimbabwe Select 155 (Harris 5-67) and 168 (Harris 4-77) by an innings and 219 runs
Scorecard
Scorecard
Left-arm spinner Paul Harris and fast bowler Andre Nel led South Africa A to victory by an innings and 219 runs against Zimbabwe Select on the final day at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Harris picked up 4 for 77 to finish with nine wickets in the match while Nel took 3 for 18 as the visitors wrapped up the match shortly after lunch.
Zimbabwe Select began the day needing 292 runs with eight wickets in hand but their hopes of escaping with a draw were blown away in the first few overs when they lost two wickets without adding to their overnight total. Hamilton Masakadza fell to Harris in the second over when Ashwell Prince caught him at silly mid-off. Taibu followed soon after when he cut Nel to Justin Ontong at gully leaving Zimbabwe Select on 95 for 4.
Stuart Matsikenyeri was dismissed by Harris, brilliantly caught by Yusuf Abdullah at mid-on who dived to his right to take the catch. Zimbabwe Select lost a second wicket on 103 when Elton Chigumbura was trapped lbw by Harris. Prosper Utseya departed without scoring soon after, edging Nel to wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile.
A 39-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Keith Dabengwa and Gary Brent brought some hope for Zimbabwe but when Brent was hit on the pads for 15 by Andrew Hall, the hopes vanished. Harris picked up his fourth wicket when he had Tymicen Maruma given out lbw and Zimbabwe were nine down going into the lunch break.
Dabengwa and Christopher Mpofu entertained the few fans that bothered to turn up but they only lasted 14 minutes after lunch. Mpofu did what the top-order batsmen failed to do when he hit two well-timed sixes off Harris. Abdullah brought the Zimbabwe Select innings to an end on 168 when he bowled Dabengwa.
Zimbabwe were using these matches to prepare for Test cricket but with the way they have played it would take a miracle for them to return to the prolonged version of the game.
