Zimbabwe v England 1996-97

At Harare Sports Club, Harare, January 1. Zimbabwe won by six runs, England's target having been revised to 186 from 42 overs. Toss: England. A 2-0 lead gave Zimbabwe their first limited-overs series win and no-one, least of all England's players, could deny that they deserved it. They were struggling at 38 for four and then hanging on grimly when England attacked a revised target, but Zimbabwe simply wanted the win more. Andy Flower, reprieved in the deep when Gough misjudged a catch off Croft's first delivery, masterminded their recovery. Evans and Streak gave excellent support, while gifts - ten wides and three no-balls - were gratefully received. Lunchtime rain allowed the newest recalculation system, the Duckworth/Lewis model, to get in on the act. The target should bave been 186 in 42 overs, though it was mistakenly given as 185, an error which proved academic. The challenge looked comfortable enough while Stewart and Crawley were in full cry. Leg-spinner Strang turned the game, however, with three wickets in 17 balls and, when Streak conceded just three from the penultimate over, another piece of cricket history was all but written. Campbell, Evans and Andy Flowere were reprimanded by referee Hanumant Singh for excessive appealing.