Dare Zimbabwe dream of chance at Sydney?](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/OCT/362676_AUS_19OCT2003.html)
Day Three - Stumps Zimbabwe 308 and 151 for 4 lead Australia 403 by 56 runs.
Zimbabwe ended day three of their second Test with Australia in Sydney, on the verge of setting the world champions a testing target on a ground not known for its high successful fourth inning chases. The position is finely-balanced and much hinges on the remaining batsmen scoring enough to allow pressure to be applied on the Australians.
Ahead by 56 runs, with six wickets in hand, Zimbabwe need only to avoid stage fright to ensure a competitive end to the game. And they must be confident after the way Raymond Price’s left-arm spin undid so many of Australia’s quality players in the first innings. He helped restrict Australia’s lead to 95 runs when the last six wickets fell for 120 runs. If they can achieve a lead around the 300-run mark they could give themselves a chance of achieving what must have seemed like a dream as they contemplated Matthew Hayden’s world record batting during the first Test.
Price achieved a career-best performance of 6 for 121. Bowling from the southern end for all but a few overs, when the second new ball was taken, he picked up an impressive collection of wickets. It all started when he lobbed the ball into the rough, had a ball spin across Waugh, catch his gloves and hit his knee to be held at short-leg by the diving Stuart Carlisle, who completed yet another fine catch in the innings. Waugh, who scored 61, had shared a stand of 135 with Ponting.
With Waugh out of the way, Price turned his attention to Ponting and worked away at him, gnawing at his concentration by bowling drawn out overs and eventually having his reward when he got a ball to bounce onto Ponting. The batsman played the ball down correctly at his feet, but in getting into position, he slightly parted his legs and the ball bounced between them and hit middle stump. He scored 169 off 249 balls and his innings included 23 fours and two sixes.
Gilchrist was typically into his stride immediately, a fact he signalled by coming down the wicket to Price and hitting a huge six to mid-wicket. He had reached 20 when Heath Streak, bowling better than at any other time during the series, undid him so expertly by getting inswing with the new ball which pierced the gap between bat and pad like a tracer bullet and collected his off stump. Gilchrist, thoroughly beaten, didn’t even bother looking behind at the damage. Meanwhile, Katich, who had joined Ponting at 283, played a steadying hand, quietly building an innings which became all the more important as the heavy artillery was weeded out.
He wasn’t afraid to go for his shots when he could and revealed his own skills, including an over from Gavin Ewing which allowed him to cover drive a four and then play a lovely back cut to see the 300 up. Katich scored his maiden half century but then played too wide at a ball from Price and was bowled behind his legs for 52.
Looking to put as many runs on as possible, firstly to wipe out the 95-run deficit and then to put as much distance on the Australians as possible, Zimbabwe made a bad start, losing Dion Ebrahim for a duck in the first over of the second innings. However, Mark Vermeulen and Trevor Gripper applied themselves, although Vermeulen had a life when umpire Brent Bowden wasn’t convinced he had hit a ball which rebounded off his shoulder to be held by Matthew Hayden at first slip. Zimbabwe were 61 at the time.
At 89, Gripper was dropped at square-leg by Damien Martyn, but four runs later, Waugh took a fine catch in the covers as Vermeulen attempted a back-foot drive to be dismissed for 48. First innings century maker Stuart Carlisle opened his second innings with a sweet square cut which also brought up the 100, from Williams’s bowling.
But he failed to get onto a ball from Simon Katich and Williams was waiting on the deep square leg boundary to accept the catch which left Zimbabwe 103 for 3. Then at 114, Gripper lunged at a ball from Katich outside off stump and Matthew Hayden, at first slip, dived to his left to take the catch.
When bad light again caused an early end to play, Craig Wishart and Tatenda Taibu had carried the score through to 151. Wishart was 32 not out and Taibu 14. Katich had completed a sound day by taking 2 for 23, as the Australians had to get used to being without the firepower of Brett Lee, who is out of cricket for at least a month.
