Zimbabwe 210 and 12 for 0 (Gumbie 7*, Masvaure 4*) trail Ireland 250 (Moor 79, McBrine 28, Humphreys 27*, Chivanga 3-39, Muzarabani 3-53) by 28 runs
Peter Moor dominated against Zimbabwe, his former team and country of birth, to post the highest Test score by an Ireland opener. The hosts, like the visitors on day 1, then collapsed magnificently in the afternoon to throw away the advantage after they brought the deficit under 100 with eight wickets in hand. But an unlikely tenth-wicket partnership of 47 between Andy McBrine and debutant Matthew Humphreys gave them a more-than-useful 40-run lead after two completed innings in Belfast.
Zimbabwe’s erratic bowling, along with their fielding behind the stumps, was a major factor in Ireland taking the lead. Zimbabwe leaked 59 runs in extras – of which 42 came in byes – the most in the 137-year history of Test cricket. However, Tanaka Chivanga (3 for 39) and Blessing Muzarabani‘s (3 for 59) exploits ensured Ireland didn’t run away with the bat.
The day had started quite like the first morning, with batters dominating proceedings. Opener Andrew Balbirnie made only 19 but gave able support to Moor, who batted at top gear. Together they set the new Ireland record for the highest opening partnership of 71, and Moor also got his first Ireland fifty, his sixth overall in Tests. The highlight of his innings was his run-scoring square on both sides of the pitch and none down the ground. His strokes helped Ireland rollick at 4.6 per over in a 25-over morning session that took them to 115 for 2.
Chivanga, playing only his second Test, was the most consistent of the Zimbabwe bowlers early on, and his consistent groupings on a good length, or slightly fuller, earned him just rewards. He struck with his second ball of the day in the 16th over when Balbirnie chipped a flick to square leg. He added a second in the 22nd over when his delivery squared Curtis Campher up and found the outside edge. Those two dismissals ensured the morning session wasn’t a complete knock-out for Zimbabwe.
However, the tide turned in Zimbabwe’s favour after lunch under grey skies. Chivanga trapped Harry Tector (4) lbw for a third wicket, and in the same over Paul Stirling – coming in at No. 5 – gloved a short ball to gully for a catch. But Stirling survived courtesy of a front-foot no-ball, and he, along with Moor, opted for attritional cricket to arrest any further collapse. The pair added 50 out of which only 30 runs came off the bat and 20 via byes and wides. Their stonewalling ended when Muzarabani tore open the Ireland middle order with two wickets in two balls that triggered more dismissals.
It was Moor who first tickled Muzarabani’s short ball to the keeper in the 36th over to depart for 79. Next ball, Lorcan Tucker was out lbw for a duck with a full ball angling to beat him on the flick. Left-arm spinner Sean Williams then accounted for Stirling (22), when he edged a ball turning away to first slip, followed by his dismissal of Mark Adair.
Ireland slid from 163 for 3 to 189 for 7 in swift time, and it soon became 200 for 8 when Tendai Chatara dismissed Barry McCarthy off the last ball before tea. Muzarabani added a third at the start of the final session to leave Zimbabwe one wicket away from taking a first-innings lead, but the McBrine-Humphreys pair counterattacked after another rain break to smash 47 in 44 balls.
It was a challenging day for Clive Madande, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper standing on debut. He first dropped Balbirnie in the morning, and the ball followed him through the day. The inconsistency in line from the seamers, especially with spraying the ball down the leg side or the late swing generated after leaving the batters, forced Madande to jump in both directions to stop potential sundries. Sometimes he was successful, but often, the ball got the better of him.
The extras eventually were the second-highest run-getter for Ireland on their scorecard. The byes conceded were also the highest-ever percentage of any team’s run tally (min. 200 runs). Had that aspect of Zimbabwe’s game been better, they could’ve had a stranglehold on the game. Instead, by stumps, they were trailing by 28 thanks to their openers, who added 12 late in the evening of the rain-hit second day.
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @sreshthx
