Cricket: Thomas shatters bowling record

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

THE GLAMORGAN seamer Darren Thomas set a new England A bowling record in the unofficial "Test" against Zimbabwe here yesterday, claiming 8 for 50 as Zimbabwe posted a modest 160 all out in reply to the tourists' first-innings total of 192.

The eight-wicket haul was also a personal best for Thomas in first-class cricket. At the close Zimbabwe were 20 for 1, Thomas striking again to remove Craig Wishart, leaving the hosts 12 runs in arrears but with nine wickets intact.

Rainstorms have decimated the total time available on the first three days of this match to less than four hours, and the players have clearly struggled to adjust to the stop-start pattern of the match. But, miraculously, the clouds parted and a full day's play was possible yesterday, the fourth of the five scheduled days, and following some frantic action on the field a result is still just possible.

Zimbabwe resumed from 147 for 7 overnight, with Stuart Carlisle defying England's seam attack on 46 not out. But he added only one more run before becoming Thomas's sixth victim of the innings. Thomas then whipped through the tail as Zimbabwe added only 13 more runs to their total.

Most of the English batsmen also found the conditions difficult, but the Lancashire all-rounder Andrew Flintoff bolstered the side with an unbeaten 80, an innings which which contained two sixes and six fours. Flintoff was lucky to escape, however, after he was dropped twice in one over when on 68. The Lancashire man received able support from Darren Maddy, who contributed 28, and Vikram Solanki, who chipped in with 27, but after those two fell, to Bryan Strang and Adam Huckle respectively, Flintoff quickly ran out of partners with his hundred in sight.

The leg-spin of Huckle and the pace of Strang, both of whom have full Test experience, formed Zimbabwe's most potent line of attack on a day when 14 wickets fell in total. Huckle's three wickets cost 57 runs, but Strang was the pick, taking 3 for 23.

The wicket is now taking prodigious spin, but in his vein of form Thomas is likely to continue today where he left off and, it seems likely, claim what would be his 10th wicket of the match.

Fourth day; England A Won Toss

ZIMBABWE A - First Innings

(Overnight: 147-7)

S V Carlisle c Read b Thomas 47

A R Whittall c Loye b Thomas 14

A Huckle not out 4

E Matambandzo c Solanki b Thomas 0

Extras (2b, 6lb, 12nb) 20

Total (62.2 overs) 160

Fall: 1-9, 2-32, 3-45, 4-54, 5-58, 6-69, 7-114, 8-153, 9-159.

Bowling: Betts 18-4-61-2; Flintoff 12-5-24-0; Thomas 22.2-7-50-8; Cosker 5-1-8-0; Swann 5-1-9-0.

ENGLAND A - First Innings

D L Maddy c Campbell b Strang 28

*M P Vaughan c Wishart b Strang 19

M B Loye lbw b A R Whittall 10

M G N Windows c Campbell b Strang 5

A Flintoff not out 80

V S Solankic A R Whittall b Huckle 27

G P Swann c G J Whittall b Blignaut 5

C M W Read c Campbell b Blignaut 1

S D Thomas c Madondo b Huckle 6

M M Betts c G J Whittall b Huckle 1

D A Cosker c Huckle b A R Whittall 0

Extras (b6 lb1 w1 nb2) 10

Total (65 overs) 192

Fall: 1-34 2-59 3-59 4-66 5-143 6-152 7-158 8-179 9-191

Bowling: Matambandzo 4-0-25-0; Strang 14-9-23-3; Blignaut 9-4-30-2; A R Whittall 13-1-34-2; Huckle 19-4-57-3; G J Whittall 6-0-16-0.

ZIMBABWE A - Second Innings

T N Madondo not out 13

C B Wishart c Solanki b Thomas 2

G J Whittall not out 3

Extras (lb1 nb1) 2

Total (for 1, 14 overs) 20

Fall: 1-8.

To Bat: S V Carlisle, D P Viljoen, D J R Campbell, A M Blignaut, B C Strang, *A R Whittall, A Huckle, E Matambandzo.

Bowling: Thomas 7-3-5-1; Betts 0.4-0-1-0;Flintoff 0.2-0-0-0; Swann 3- 1-11-0; Cosker 3-2-2-0

Umpires: I D Robinson and K C Barbour.