HARARE (Reuters) – Opener Craig Wishart has hit a commanding 172 not out to set up Zimbabwe’s 86-run victory over Namibia in a rain-curtailed World Cup Group A match.

Although the match started on time after months of controversy about the six World Cup games scheduled to take place in strife-torn Zimbabwe, rain halted play for the second time at 2:10 p.m. British time and, with no chance of a resumption, the game was abandoned.

Facing a revised victory target of 325 in 46 overs, Namibia slipped from a flying start to 104 for five when rain intervened after 25.1 overs, well behind on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method for interrupted matches.

Former captain Danie Keulder was Namibia’s top scorer, striking three fours in his 27 before he was brilliantly caught off a full-blooded cover drive by a leaping Dion Ebrahim.

The tournament minnows, playing in their first World Cup, won the toss but could do little to stem the flow of runs as Zimbabwe piled up an imposing 340 for two in their 50 overs.

Opener Wishart narrowly missed out on the highest individual World Cup score as Zimbabwe cashed in on a good batting pitch and an inexperienced Namibia attack, Grant Flower finishing unbeaten on 78.

Wishart’s 172 was the highest total by a Zimbabwe batsman in one-day internationals but fell short of Gary Kirsten’s 188 not out for South Africa against the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 World Cup.

Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar holds the world record one-day score of 194.

Wishart, who struck three sixes and 18 fours in 149 balls, shared an opening stand of 107 with Mark Vermeulen, who made 39 before falling to the left-arm spin of Lennie Louw.

The 43-year-old Louw, the oldest player in the tournament, produced a juggling catch off his own bowling to claim Namibia’s first ever World Cup wicket.

Andy Flower, who issued a hard-hitting statement with team mate Henry Olonga before the start of the match criticising Zimbabwe’s record on human rights and democracy, scored 39 before being removed by Jan-Berry Burger’s occasional leg-spin.

Flower, arguably Zimbabwe’s greatest player and among the top batsmen in the world, had walked on to the field wearing a black arm band in what is expected to be his last major international event for Zimbabwe.

But Wishart and Grant Flower lifted Zimbabwe past 300 with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 166 in front of a small crowd at Harare Sports Club.

The slightly-built Bjorn Kotze, nicknamed ‘Bones’, was hammered for 75 runs in his 10 overs while fellow medium pace seamer Louis Burger went for 70 from 10.

Despite a promising start to their reply, with electrician Stefan Swanepoel making 23 and Louis Burger 26, the Namibian amateurs were always going to struggle chasing the 17th highest team total in one-day history.

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