rediff.com: Johnson fires Zimbabwe to win over Windies

Opener Neil Johnson pounded the West Indies bowling while rock music pounded a celebratory beat to acclaim his strokes as floodlit international one-day cricket came to England for the first time yesterday.

Johnson stole the individual honours with a match-winning 95 not out to fire Zimbabwe to a six-wicket victory in the opening fixture of the triangular series, their first success over the West Indies in limited overs games.

Zimbabwe restricted their opponents to 232 for seven in 50 overs with tidy bowling, good catching in the deep and combative fielding, then swept to their target at 233 for four with exactly five overs to spare.

Captain Andy Flower, who played his part with the bat by making 42 from 59 deliveries, said: ''We hit the ground running tonight. We bowled really well throughout and the guys were sharp in the field. Johnson is a strong player and he was brilliant today.''

Johnson, who scored his runs from 128 balls and hit nine fours but finished five short of his century, said: ''A hundred is not important. Winning is important.''

Man-of-the-match Johnson shared key stands of 70 for the fourth wicket with Andy Flower and an unbroken 73 for the fifth with Grant Flower, who made 26 not out off 25 balls, as Zimbabwe ended a run of eight defeats by West Indies in one-dayers. They have yet to beat the men from the Caribbean in Tests.

Zimbabwe's success came in the first one-day international under lights in England, and the novelty of the occasion is likely to be remembered as much as the game itself.

A lighter note off-field is one of the added ingredients to these occasions, demonstrated here by the rock music that greeted every boundary and fall of wicket.

Brian Lara and Ricardo Powell certainly kept the musicians busy during their fourth wicket stand of 56 in seven overs which gave the innings timely impetus after Zimbabwe had restricted West Indies to 10 runs in the first eight overs.

Chris Gayle briefly cut loose, hitting three fours off one over from Mlueki Nkala, but he was run out almost by the length of the pitch for 41 after a mix-up with Wavell Hinds that found them both at the striker's end.

Hinds, scoring productively through the off-side, contributed 51 from 74 deliveries before Lara and Powell, matching each other stroke for stroke, provided the batting fireworks that took its toll on otherwise effective Zimbabwe bowling.

Lara hit six fours and one six in his 60 off 63 balls and all-rounder Powell struck five fours and one six as he blasted 36 off 23 deliveries.

Even so, it was a commendable effort to restrict the West Indies to 232 for seven with an attack lacking their injured main strike bowler Heath Streak as well as fellow pacemen Henry Olonga and Pommie Mbangwa.

Zimbabwe's batsmen put their side in the hunt with a brisk start, reaching 100 in 20 overs against a West Indies attack without the two most potent weapons in their armoury. Curtly Ambrose has been rested for this series and Courtney Walsh was not chosen for this match.

The African team's victory prospects were sustained as Johnson and Andy Flower took their side from 90 for three to 160 before the skipper was caught by Gayle at the second attempt at first slip.

Johnson, driving straight and square with fluency, and Grant Flower, who smashed a superb straight six off Mervyn Dillon, then took their side home in a stand of mounting authority.

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