Streak and Hondo fall short as Ali ties up Zimbabwe

Worcestershire 262 and 247 Zimbabwe 334 and 175 <i>Match tied</i>

With one run required to win, Zimbabwe looked certain to keep their 100 per-cent tour record intact. The score was 175 for 8 and Heath Streak, their captain, was facing Kabir Ali. He was on 37 and showing little discomfort from the back spasm that had prevented him taking any part in this game since the first morning. As a precaution the vice-captain, Tatenda Taibu, was running for Streak. The last thing Zimbabwe can afford is for their leading player to be unfit for the first Test at Lord's in nine days' time.

With one run required to win, Zimbabwe looked certain to keep their 100 per-cent tour record intact. The score was 175 for 8 and Heath Streak, their captain, was facing Kabir Ali. He was on 37 and showing little discomfort from the back spasm that had prevented him taking any part in this game since the first morning. As a precaution the vice-captain, Tatenda Taibu, was running for Streak. The last thing Zimbabwe can afford is for their leading player to be unfit for the first Test at Lord's in nine days' time.

With the scores level, Streak missed three opportunities to hit the winning run. Sensing the urgency to finish the game in this the 62nd over, he attempted to run Ali's fourth delivery down to the vacant third man area. Pitched short of a length the ball bounced, took the top edge and flew to Stephen Peters, who had just been moved to third slip by the Worcestershire captain, Ben Smith. Peters only just managed to keep hold of the sharp chance.

Nine down, but Zimbabwe were still the favourites to sneak home. With Douglas Hondo walking to the crease fresh from his first-innings score of 24 not out, surely after four days' hard work Zimbabwe were not going to throw it away.

At 55 for 5 during the morning session, the 176-run target Worcestershire had set on Sunday evening looked a long way away. The ball was snaking about on a helpful surface and batting was tough. However, determined innings of 26 from Grant Flower, a cavalier 42 from Andy Blignaut and the captain's effort had taken them to the verge of a morale-boosting win.

Hondo, after a word with the non-striker Ray Price, took guard and he managed to dig out the first delivery he faced from Ali. With one ball to overcome before he was back on strike, Price would have been visualising scoring the winning run.

Ali ran in from the Diglis End to deliver a ball of fullish length and Hondo looked to leave it, as he had so well in the first innings. On this occasion, it was an inswinger and to the batsman's horror he could only watch as the ball passed his outstretched left leg and collided with the middle and off stumps. His figures of 5 for 48 had earned his side a tie. Price sunk on his bat, next to the umpire.

After taking in what had happened, Geoff Marsh, Zimbabwe's coach, said. "We would have liked to have won, but it was the sort of wicket where you were never in as a batsman," he said. "We have had four days of hard cricket and there were some good pressure situations in the game. This is what our guys need to get used to."

Zimbabwe's last chance for more before the first Test is against Sussex on Thursday.