Andy Flower and Henry Olonga's spirit of rebellion spread to the Queens Sports Clubcrowd in Bulawayo today as Zimbabwe defeated the Netherlands by 99 runs to keep their World Cup dream alive.
After making 301 for 8, Zimbabwe restricted the Dutch to 202 for 9 off their 50 overs but the Group A game was overshadowedby the controversy over the two players' ongoing anti-Robert Mugabe protest.
First, it was claimed that the Zimbabwe selectors had insisted on playing an unfit Douglas Hondo rather than reverting to obvious replacement Olonga as a continuing punishment for his black armband protest against the regime.
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Then, as the Dutch began their reply, Flower left the field injured to be replaced by Olonga, serving as 12th man.
Both men were wearing heavy, white armbands to extend their protest having been warned to desist with the
black arm and wristbands by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU).
Olonga's arrival was greeted with a huge roar from the 3,000-strong crowd before two protest banners were unfurled -one saying 'Mugabe equals Hitler' and the other claiming 'Zimbabwe Needs Justice.'
Some spectators started to sing as police moved in to confiscate the banners. One of the crowd said the words to thesong meant: 'We hate what you are doing to us.'
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On the pitch, Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak was named man-of-the-match for his 44 runs and 1-36 and said everythingwas coming together well in time for the crunch clash against Pakistan here on Tuesday.
"We planned to win and win well today," said Streak. "The match against Pakistan is a huge game and we'll takea lot of positives from this win. We are bowling a lot straighter than we were and hopefully that will continue so wecan gave them a hard time," Streak said.
The win kept Zimbabwe in fourth place in the table on 12 points just behind England on run-rate with Pakistan in fifthplace on eight points.
The Dutch run chase got off to a solid start as Feiko Kloppenburg and Edgar Schiferli put on 41 runs in the first 11overs.
But then Bas Zuiderent was run out after a brilliant piece of fielding by Dion Ebrahim for 15 while leg-spinner Brian Murphy applied the brakes taking 3-44 from his ten overs.
His wickets included dangerman Tim de Leede for one and Luuk van Troost who made 26 off 25 balls while Olonga refusedto be left out of the action when he took a catch in the deep to dismiss Henk Mol.
Daan van Bunge top-scored for the Dutch with 37.
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Earlier, Andy Flower smashed 71 off 72 balls while Andy Blignaut followed up his 54 against Australia with 58 off 38balls. Streak clattered 44 off 22 before being dismissed off the last ball.
AFP
