In a match seemingly headed for a draw, Raymon Reifer and Jermaine Blackwood each scored 50s as the West Indies declared their second innings on 203-5 on Wednesday’s final day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
It was a day when Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite who scored tons in the West Indies’s first innings of 447-6 declared, created another record of being the first opening pair to bat on all five days of a Test match.
Resuming from their overnight score of 21-0 with the West Indies captain on 11 and Chanderpaul on 10. The pair would add another 11 runs before Brad Evans broke the partnership when he bowled Chanderpaul for 15.
Brathwaite was trapped lbw by Wellington Masakadza for 25 which brought Reifer and Blackwood together. They mounted a stand of 107 that was broken when Masakadza picked up his second wicket when he dismissed Reifer caught and bowled for 58.
He picked up his fourth wicket of the match when he had Blackwood caught behind for 57 to end with figures of 3-71.
Evans picked up his second wicket when he had Roston Chase caught behind for 14 after which Kyle Mayers and Joshua Da Silva added another 23 runs before the declaration came.
Mayers remained unbeaten on 17 and Da Silva, nine.
Evans took 2-41.
At tea, Zimbabwe needing 272 for victory were 1-0.
Scores: West Indies 447-6 (dec) and 203-5 (dec) vs Zimbabwe 379-9 (dec) and 1-0.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Captain Powell the hero as West Indies win thriller against South Africa
New skipper Rovman Powell powered West Indies to a stunning three-wicket win against South Africa in a rain-reduced T20I clash on Saturday.
The start in Centurion was pushed back because of wet conditions and the contest was reduced to an 11-overs-a-side thrash, with South Africa totting up 131-8, helping by David Miller crunching 48 from 22 balls.
Miller struck three sixes as the home side recovered well from losing opener Quinton de Kock to the first ball of their innings at SuperSport Park.
West Indies made a flying start to their reply as Brandon King and Kyle Mayers took 17 runs from the first four deliveries. King's 23, and 28 from Johnson Charles, helped to put the tourists in a strong position, but it was Powell who played the crucial innings.
The 29-year-old Jamaican hit five sixes in an explosive 43no from 18 balls, holding his nerve after West Indies lost two wickets to Sisanda Magala (3-21) in the 10th over.
Powell's maximum from the second delivery of the 11th over brought the teams level, and he tucked away a single into the leg side from the next ball to seal the win, taking West Indies to 132-7.
Powell starts as he means to go on
The chance to lead arose for Powell when Nicholas Pooran resigned as West Indies' white-ball captain after last year's T20 World Cup.
Powell has taken on the T20I job, with Shai Hope leading the ODI team, and this was a whirlwind beginning for the incoming captain, firstly with the match being reduced to a quickfire slog, and then with the pressure falling on his shoulders with the bat.
He came in at 66-3 in the fifth over, after the breakneck start, and saw the job through, posting his joint-sixth highest T20I score in what was his 47th innings at this level.
Trend to continue?
The last three T20I series between these teams have been won by the touring side, and with two games remaining in this series we might be on for a repeat.
South Africa are experiencing a dire run of series results in T20Is at home, having lost their last four such series, last getting a home success against Sri Lanka in March 2019.
Over the longer course of a full 20 overs it might prove a different story between these teams, with the win for West Indies on this occasion being just the second in their last 16 T20Is away from home. They and South Africa go again on Sunday, also in Centurion.
Sinclair takes four as Guyana Harpy Eagles complete 228-run win over Jamaica Scorpions at Providence
Kevin Sinclair took 4-37 to lead the Guyana Harpy Eagles to a 228-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions on day four of their fourth-round fixture at Providence on Saturday.
The Scorpions started day four 176-1 off 43 overs with a glimmer of hope of pulling off a historic chase.
That hope was quickly dashed as Tevin Gilzene and Jermaine Blackwood, who entered the day on 81 and 66, respectively, were swiftly dismissed for 85 and 67. Paul Palmer Jr also went for a duck in between those wickets as the Scorpions were suddenly 207-4.
The wickets continued to tumble as the Scorpions were eventually bowled out for 229 in the 67th over.
Sinclair finished with figures of 4-37 off 18.2 overs while Ronsford Beaton took 3-85 off 17 and Veerasammy Permaul took 2-23 off 11.
McCaskie hits second half-century of the match to lead Barbados Pride to seven-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at Queen's Park Oval
Opener Zachary McCaskie hit his second fifty of the game to lead the Barbados Pride to a seven-wicket victory over the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force on day four of their fourth-round fixture at Queen’s Park Oval on Saturday.
The Pride started day four 52-2 off 23 overs, needing a further 66 runs to win with McCaskie and Jomel Warrican at the crease on 29 and zero, respectively.
Only Warrican was dismissed for the Bajans as they needed only 14.4 overs on Saturday to complete a successful chase.
They ended up 118-3 off 37.4 overs. McCaskie, who made a career-best 92 in the first innings, ended 55* while Jonathan Drakes produced a 29-ball 27*.
Bryn Charles took 3-29 off 16 overs for the Red Force.
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