Cricket: Flowers blossom to keep India at bay

India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .536-7 dec

Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152-3

ZIMBABWE'S Flower brothers, Grant and Andrew, frustrated India's bowlers with an unbroken 69-run partnership yesterday in New Delhi on the third day of their side's first overseas Test.

Zimbabwe, replying to India's first innings of 536 for 7 declared, had slipped to 83 for 3 after tea before Andrew Flower joined his younger brother to take the score to 152 for 3 at the close. Grant Flower, who opened, scored 47 in four hours, but the left-handed Andrew made a more adventurous unbeaten 46 in 117 minutes.

The Zimbabwe innings began in the worst possible fashion when Kapil Dev struck with the first ball to trap Kevin Arnott leg before.

India's Vinod Kambli had earlier added 20 runs to his overnight 207 before falling just nine runs short of his country's highest Test score.

(Third day: India won toss)

INDIA - First Innings

(Overnight: 411 for 4)

M Prabhakar c A Flower b Brain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

N S Sidhu lbw b Traicos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

V G Kambli c and b Traicos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227

S R Tendulkar c Traicos b Ranchod. . . . . . . . . . . . .62

* M A Azharuddin run out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

P K Amre not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Kapil Dev st A Flower b Traicos. . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

] V Yadav b Brain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

A R Kumble not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Extras (b17, lb6, w2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Total (for 7 dec) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .536

Fall: 1-19 2-126 3-263 4-370 5-434 6-464 7-507.

Bowling: Brandes 26-4-93-0; Brain 34-1-146-2 (w2); Shah 10-3-43-0; Traicos 50-4-186-3; Ranchod 12-0- 45-1.

Did not bat: R K Chauhan, Maninder Singh.

ZIMBABWE - First Innings

K J Arnott lbw b Kapil Dev. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

G W Flower not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

A D R Campbell b Chauhan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

* D L Houghton lbw b Kumble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

] A Flower not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Extras (lb5, w1, nb3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Total (for 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Fall: 1-0 2-53 3-83.

Bowling (to date): Kapil Dev 5-2-13-1 (w1); Prabhakar 11-3-16-0 (nb2); Chauhan 19-3-49-1; Kumble 19-5-42-1; Maninder Singh 13-1-27-0 (nb1).

To bat: A H Shah, G Briant, E A Brandes, D H Brain, A J Traicos, U Ranchod.