West Indies close on 78-1

By Agencies

October 31, 2017

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe legspinner Graeme Cremer struck late on day two to end a turgid opening stand and keep the West Indies in check in the second Test at Queens Sports Club on Monday.

A grinding partnership of 76 in 46 overs between Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell had given the West Indies a solid base in their reply to Zimbabwe’s 326 all out, before Cremer removed Brathwaite for 32 to send the visitors to stumps on 78 for one.

Zimbabwe’s total was built on the back of Hamilton Masakadza’s 147 and Sikandar Raza’s 80, which saw the hosts bowled out in the hour after lunch.Brathwaite and Powell ended a run of 18 innings without a fifty partnership as they took the patient approach to batting on a slow, turning surface.

The West Indies lead the two-match series 1-0.The game had moved much faster in the morning, when Hamilton Masakadza cracked the first ball of the day through the covers for four, and then collected four boundaries in the space of seven deliveries before the first drinks break.

He and Raza threatened to take the game away from West Indies with a stand that stretched to 90 runs, but with Masakadza’s dismissal West Indies forced their way back into the game. The spinners struck repeatedly with the old ball to peg Zimbabwe back, and after lunch, the quicks used the new ball to deal with the tail, as the wickets were shared around.

Zimbabwe won toss

Zimbabwe 1st Innings 326 all-out (H Masakadza 147; K Roach 3-44)

West Indies 1st Innings

K C Brathwaite c Masakadza b Cremer 32

K O A Powell not out 43

D Bishoo not out 0

Extras (b 2, lb 1) 3

Total (1 wicket; 49 Overs) 78

To bat: K A Hope, S D Hope, R L Chase, J Blackwood, †S O Dowrich, *J O Holder, K A J Roach, S T Gabriel

Fall: 1-76

Bowling: Mpofu 11-5-17-0; Mire 4-2-2-0; Cremer 12-2-31-1; Sikandar 13-6-10-0; Chisoro 9-4-15-0

Test debut: T S Chisoro (Zimbabwe)