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Zimbabwe – 210 and 12-0 in 4 overs (Joylord Gumbie 7*, Prince Masvaure 4*)
Ireland – 250 all out in 58.3 overs (PJ Moor 79, Andy McBrine 28, Matthew Humphreys 27*; Tanaka Chivanga 3/39, Blessing Muzarabani 3/53, Tendai Chatara 2/47)
Day 2 – Stumps: Zimbabwe trail by 28 runs
Tanaka Chivanga and Blessing Muzarabani claimed three wickets apiece as Zimbabwe fought back with the ball on Friday to ensure day two of their one-off Test against Ireland in Belfast ended with the teams virtually on even terms.
Their brilliant bowling ensured the hosts could only establish a 40-run first-innings lead after they made 250, with PJ Moor impressing with a half-century against the country of his birth.
The weather was pleasant to start with, but changeable, and the pitch was in fair condition, apart from some uneven bounce.
Moor got off to a flying start, scoring a string of boundaries off loose deliveries, and had reached 43 off 47 balls when Andy Balbirnie was caught at slip for 19 – their opening partnership had put on 71 runs.
The bowler was Chivanga, who also took the next two wickets to fall, both to swinging deliveries: Curtis Campher was caught by Sean Williams in the slips for eight and Harry Tector lbw for four.
Rain came on after lunch, and play restarted about an hour late in the afternoon.
Moor reached his first fifty for Ireland and was eventually out for 79 off 105 balls, fending off a short ball from Muzarabani to be caught by the keeper down the leg side – 165 for four.
Before this, Ireland had looked well set for a big first-innings lead, but the pace bowlers, assisted by the spin of Williams, now broke through.
Paul Stirling made 22 before he was caught by Craig Ervine at slip off Williams, and after this, only Andy McBrine reached double figures.
The eighth wicket went down with 200 on the board on the stroke of tea.
A wicket fell immediately afterwards, but after two overs, the rain started again, and the players went off at 206 for nine, just four runs behind Zimbabwe’s score.
When play eventually resumed, Humphreys smashed one six in a 31-ball innings of 27 not out to put on 47 runs for the final wicket with McBrine, who was out for 28 to end Ireland’s innings on 250, boosted by 59 extras that Zimbabwe leaked.
Chivanga and Muzarabani finished with three wickets each, for 39 and 53 runs respectively, while Tendai Chatara bagged two for 47.
There was still time for Zimbabwe to face four overs, but the tourists’ opening duo of Joylord Gumbie and Prince Masvaure survived to keep the fixture delicately poised ahead of day three.
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