A seven-wicket haul for Gudakesh Motie and a half-century for Raymon Reifer headlined a dominant day for West Indies at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday (February 12).
After bowling Zimbabwe out for 115, West Indies were 133/4, at the close of play on day one of the 1st Test, at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
Motie finished with 7 for 37 to bag his first seven-for in first-class cricket, helping West Indies skittle Zimbabwe out for 115.
Reifer (53) then put on useful partnerships with Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Jermaine Blackwood as West Indies ended Day 1 at 133/4, leading by 18.
Zimbabwe opted to bat and were without Gary Ballance who was out of the second Test due to a migraine and was replaced by Milton Shumba.
Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava also missed out, with Donald Tiripano and Tanaka Chivanga getting a game. West Indies brought in Shannon Gabriel in place of Kemar Roach.
Apart from the two boundaries that Innocent Kaia scored off Gabriel, it was a watchful first hour for Zimbabwe on a dry wicket.
Tanunurwa Makoni, at the other end, was bogged down by some disciplined bowling and eventually edged an Alzarri Joseph delivery to Joshua Da Silva, who took a brilliant one-handed catch, to depart for 0 off 24.
Kaia kept the boundaries coming, some of them streaky, while Chamu Chibhabha was quick to take on the spinner Motie, scoring two successive fours.
Chibhabha, though, got a leading edge to give Holder his first wicket and the bowler also had Kaia edging to Kyle Mayers at first slip.
Things went from bad to worse for Zimbabwe as Motie had Shumba caught at short-leg and Tafadzwa Tsiga slicing a catch to cover.
Craig Ervine, who was unbeaten at Lunch, became the spinner’s third scalp at the start of the second session as he was trapped in front after missing a sweep. Wellington Masakadza got an inside edge off Motie to hand a catch to leg-spin, leaving Zimbabwe at 81/7.
Tiripano fought hard as he scored an unbeaten 23, which included three boundaries. But he did not receive any support from the other end as Motie continued on his wicket-taking spree.
Brandon Mavuta was caught off a deflection from the ‘keeper’s gloves by first slip as Motie bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket and followed it up with the wicket of Victor Nyauchi.
Chivanga was involved in a 26-run stand for the final wicket with Tiripano before being bowled by Motie, who became the first West Indian to bag a seven-wicket haul against Zimbabwe.
Brathwaite and Chanderpaul began West Indies’ reply in a sedate fashion as they looked to blunt the Zimbabwe bowling attack like they did in the first Test.
The West Indies captain, however, was dismissed for 7 off 27 as he was trapped in front by Masakadza, who dismissed Brathwaite for the third time in as many innings.
Chanderpaul struck successive boundaries off Chivanga and continued to bat steadily in partnership with Reifer in the post-tea session.
The second wicket pair added 73, with Reifer scoring 41 and Chanderpaul 30 in the partnership.
But a soft dismissal ended Chanderpaul’s stay as he top-edged a sweep off Mavuta to depart for 36.
Blackwood came out with a positive intent, scoring boundaries off Nyauchi and a six off Mavuta while Reifer got to his second Test fifty as West Indies entered the lead. But a mix-up resulted in Reifer’s run-out, ending a stand worth 31.
Blackwood followed soon after, mistiming a pull-off Mavuta to depart for 22.
Mayers and Roston Chase were unbeaten when stumps were drawn early due to bad light.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 115 (Innocent Kaia 38; Gudakesh Motie 7-37, Jason Holder 2-18) trail West Indies 133/4 (Raymon Reifer 53, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 36; Brandon Mavuta 2-24) by 18 runs.