HARARE (Reuters)
South African captain Shaun Pollock praised his team's application in forcing a nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe on a friendly pitch in the first Test. Despite an heroic performance by Zimbabwe wicketkeeper and man-of-the-match Andy Flower, who scored 142 and 199 not out, South Africa sealed victory 40 minutes before the scheduled tea interval.

"The state of the pitch contributed to the hard work," Pollock said. "It was difficult to come up with ways to get them out. We're used to a bit of bounce and carry back home, but this was a good wicket. We only lost four wickets in the match, so the batters will say it's a good wicket. As a bowler, I would have liked a bit more pace and bounce. All credit to the guys - they applied themselves brilliantly to hang in there. The first game of the season is never easy, but they never let up and it paid off."

The second Test starts in Bulawayo on Friday, representing uncharted territory for Pollock and his team. "Apparently, the pitch there takes a bit of turn," Pollock said. "We've never played a Test there, so we'll have to see what it looks like. There were quite a few wickets taken by the spinners in the matches we've had a look at that were played there."

Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak was happy with Flower's performance, but not with most of his colleagues. "Those were two fantastic innings from Andy," Streak told reporters. "He just shows his class and it's great to have someone like that in your side. Unfortunately, bar Hamilton Masakadza (who scored 85 in the second innings) and Dion Ebrahim (71 in the first) no one supported him.

"Our bowling is also a worry. We're too inconsistent and we need to work on creating more pressure. I think the experience factor plays a role when you're playing as professional and talented team as South Africa, so the margin for error is that much smaller. Hopefully we can be a lot more competitive with the ball in Bulawayo."

Streak said Zimbabwe were always on the back foot after South Africa posted their massive first innings score of 600 for three. "We could have batted better in the first innings after a reasonable start, but it's always hard to come back into a game when the opposition put 600 on the board," Streak said. "But I thought the boys fought hard, particularly in the second innings. Andy was our rock, the one that everyone batted around."

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