Olonga defended

Andy Flower, the captain of Zimbabwe, has leapt to the defence of the 18-year-old paceman Henry Olonga, the first bowler for more than 30 years to be called for throwing in a Test match. Olonga, the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, was no-balled by the umpire Ian Robinson during the third day's play of the first Test against Pakistan in Harare on Thursday.

Olonga, playing in his first Test, was only the sixth genuine bowler to be called for throwing in a Test and the first since Australia's Ian Meckiff was penalised while playing against South Africa in Brisbane in December 1963.

But Flower insisted during yesterday's rest day: "From a wicketkeeping point of view - and I have also faced him as a batsman before - I don't believe that he throws. It's as simple as that. Some people seem to think that the delivery he was called for was a lot quicker than anything else he bowled, in which case they have got better eyes than me.''