All-rounder Roston Chase scored his 11th half-century in Tests as the West Indies ended day two of the second test against Zimbabwe with a 175-run first innings lead in Bulawayo.
Only 49.4 overs were possible on day two as rain halted proceedings on multiple occasions.
The tourists began the day 133-4 off 41 overs with Kyle Mayers on eight and Chase on five.
The pair brought the score to 184 in the 54th over before Mayers was dismissed by Brandon Mavuta for 30, bringing Joshua Da Silva to the middle to join Chase.
Chase and Da Silva brought the West Indies total past 200 in the 61st over, with Chase bringing up his fifty off 83 balls in the process. This was Chase’s first Test fifty since a 51 against England in Manchester in July 2020.
At lunch, the West Indies were 236-5 after 71 overs with Chase on 56 and Da Silva on 25.
Soon after the Windies 250 was brought up in the 78th over, Chase fell to pacer Victor Nyauchi for a 132-ball 70 to leave the tourists 269-6 after 84.5 overs.
Just one run later, Da Silva also fell to Nyauchi. He faced 111 balls for his 44.
It was 270-7 when Alzarri Joseph joined Jason Holder at the crease and, two balls later, it was 274-8 as Joseph, after striking a boundary off his first ball, became Nyauchi’s third victim of the day, going for four.
At stumps, the West Indies were 290-8 off 90.4 overs with Jason Holder on three and Gudakesh Motie on 11.
Scores: Zimbabwe 115 off 40.5 overs (Innocent Kaia 38, Gudakesh Motie 7-37, Jason Holder 2-18)
West Indies 290-8 off 90.4 overs (Roston Chase 70, Raymon Reifer 53, Joshua Da Silva 44, Victor Nyauchi 3-56, Brandon Mavuta 3-73)
The West Indies hold a slight advantage against Zimbabwe at stumps on Sunday’s first day of the second Test at Bulawayo.
Gudakesh Motie took career-best Test figures on Sunday to help the West Indies dismiss Zimbabwe for 115 after lunch on the first day of the second Test at Bulawayo.
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.
Record-breaking Zimbabwe debutant Gary Ballance frustrated West Indies by becoming only the second batter to score a Test century for two countries on Tuesday.
The former England left-hander struck 137 not out on day four of the first Test at Queens Sports Club, where Zimbabwe declared on 379-9 and the Windies closed on 21-0 – leading by 89 runs.
Ballance made four hundreds for England in 23 matches in the longest format, the last of which came against West Indies in April 2015.
The 33-year-old signed a two-year contact with Zimbabwe Cricket last December, having been granted a release from his Yorkshire contract after a challenging period in which he endured struggles with his mental health.
Zimbabwe-born Ballance last year admitted to using racist and offensive language towards his Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq.
Rafiq said he had accepted an apology from Ballance, who was suspended for an indefinite period from England selection.
He played three white-ball matches for his country of birth last month and now has the highest score by a Zimbabwe Test debutant, beating the previous record of 121 set by Dave Houghton – the team's current coach.
Kepler Wessels is the only other player to have made hundreds for more than one country in the longest format, reaching three figures for South Africa and Australia.
Former England batsman Gary Ballance made an unbeaten century to lead a Zimbabwean fightback on day four of the first Test in Bulawayo.
Day four started with Zimbabwe 114-3 off 41.4 overs, trailing the Windies by 333 runs.
The Zimbabweans were in further trouble when half-centurion Innocent Kaia was struck plumb in front by Alzarri Joseph for 67.
Wicketkeeper Tafazdwa Tsiga then joined Balance at the crease, facing five balls and making only two before Joseph dismissed him in a similar fashion, leaving Zimbabwe 132-5 after 51 overs at that point.
Brad Evans then made his way to the middle and added a further 15 runs with Balance before he was caught behind off the bowling of Kemar Roach for seven.
The fall of that wicket was the start of somewhat of a revival for Zimbabwe as Wellington Masakadza then joined Balance at the crease.
The pair put on a partnership of 45 for the seventh wicket, more importantly, batting for 24 overs and four balls in the process.
This pair worked and frustrated the West Indian bowlers, something that the next pair capitalized on as Balance and Brandon Mavuta, who took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests in the West Indies first innings, put on what may very well be a match-saving 135-run eighth-wicket partnership.
Mavuta, who had a previous highest Test score of six, made his maiden half-century off 107 balls before being bowled by Jason Holder for 56 off 132 balls just after the tea break.
Just before tea, Ballance brought up his maiden Test hundred for Zimbabwe, having previously making four for England, off 190 balls.
After Mavuta was dismissed, Ballance had partnerships of 14 with Victor Nyauchi, who made 13, and 38 with Richard Ngarava, who finished 19*, as the hosts declared on 379-9 off 125 overs, trailing the West Indies by 68 runs.
Ballance finished not out on 137 from 231 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes.
Alzarri Joseph led the way with the ball for the Windies with 3-75 off his 26 overs. Gudakesh Motie and Jason Holder also bagged two wickets each.
At stumps, the West Indies were 21-0 off 13 overs in their second innings with Kraigg Brathwaite on 11 and Tagenarine Chanderpaul on 10.
Scores: West Indies 447-6 declared off 143 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 207*, Kraigg Brathwaite 182, Brandon Mavuta 5-140) and 21-0 off 13 overs (Kraigg brathwaite 11*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 10*)
Zimbabwe 379-9 off 125 overs (Gary Ballance 137*, Innocent Kaia 67, Brandon Mavuta 56, Alzarri Joseph 3-75, Jason Holder 2-55, Gudakesh Motie 2-110)
A maiden Test double hundred from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and a 12th Test century from captain Kraigg Brathwaite have put the West Indies in an excellent position after day three of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
The day began with Chanderpaul and Brathwaite resuming from their overnight score of 221-0 with Brathwaite on 116 and Chanderpaul on 101.
The pair took their opening partnership to 336 before Brathwaite was trapped leg before wicket to Wellington Masakadza for 182. His knock lasted 312 balls and included eight fours.
With the Windies 336-1, Kyle Mayers was promoted to number three to provide quick runs and did that, contributing 20 off just 24 balls before he became the first of Brandon Mavuta’s five wickets.
The 25-year-old leg spinner then claimed the wickets of Raymon Reifer (2), Jermaine Blackwood (5), Roston Chase (7) and Jason Holder (11) to complete his maiden Test five-wicket haul.
During all that, Chanderpaul brought up his maiden Test double ton off 416 balls, finishing up not out on 207 off 467 balls as the West Indies declared on 447-6 after 143 overs.
Mavuta ended with figures of 5-140 off 41 overs.
The Zimbabwean reply started well as openers Innocent Kaia and Tanunurwa Makoni saw off the West Indian new ball pair of Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph in the process of bringing up their 50-run partnership in the 21st over.
Makoni’s resistance ended in the 27th over when he flashed at a wide one from Joseph, being easily caught by Kyle Mayers at slip with the partnership at 63.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie then got in on the action in the 32nd over when he produced a feint edge off Chamu Chibhabha which West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva safely held. Chibhabha made nine.
Kaia then brought up his maiden Test fifty off 98 balls.
With the Zimbabweans seemingly heading towards stumps with eight wickets in the shed, West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite decided to try his hand at bowling the last over of the day.
The decision proved to be a genius one as Brathwaite removed opposite number Craig Ervine for 13 to leave the hosts 114-3 off 41.4 overs at stumps, trailing the Windies by 333 runs.
Scores: West Indies 447-6 declared off 143 overs (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 207*, Kraigg Brathwaite 182, Brandon Mavuta 5-140) Zimbabwe 114-3 off 41.4 overs (Innocent Kaia 59*, Tanunurwa Makoni 33, Kraigg Brathwaite 1-5, Gudakesh Motie 1-25, Alzarri Joseph 1-25)
West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul broke a long-standing record for Test opening partnerships on Monday’s third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo as the West Indies went to lunch on 374-2.
Resuming from their overnight score of 221-0 with Brathwaite on 116 and Chanderpaul on 101, the pair took their opening partnership to 336 before Brathwaite was trapped leg before wicket to Wellington Masakadza for 182. The score broke the record for the best-ever West Indies opening partnership of 298 by the West Indies iconic opening pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes that was made against England in 1990.
They also became the first opening pair to bat in excess of 100 overs in an innings in the 21st century only the second opening pair to face over 600 deliveries in a Test innings, falling just short of the record held by Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had played 114.2 overs against Pakistan.
It is also the ninth-highest opening partnership in Test cricket history and the first time that both West Indies openers have gone past 150 in the same innings.
Brathwaite’s marathon knock lasted 312 balls and included 18 fours.
In a bid to accelerate the scoring rate, Kyle Mayers, who replaced Brathwaite scored 20 from 24 balls in a partnership of 37 with Chanderpaul before was bowled by Brandon Mavuta with the score at 373.
Dropped at deep backward square leg on 150, Chanderpaul remains unbeaten on 161 with Raymon Reifer on one at the other end.
Masakadza has so far taken 1-53 from 22 overs while Mavuda has figures of 1-99 from the 32 overs he has bowled so far.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored his maiden Test century and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored his 12th as the West Indies closed another rain shortened second day in the first Test against Zimbabwe on 221-0 at Bulawayo.
The West Indies had resumed from their overnight score of 112-0 with both batsmen on 55.
In the 48 overs possible on Sunday because of a wet outfield caused by heavy downpour on Saturday, the 26-year-old Chanderpaul, playing in only his third Test, progressed to score 101 not out.
His 100 came up off 296 balls and included 10 fours and a six. It was the first time since 2013 that a West Indies opener other than Brathwaite had scored a Test century.
Brathwaite, meanwhile, had scored yet another century to be unbeaten on 116. His ton that included only seven fours came from 226 balls.
The 221-run opening stand marked the first time West Indies has put on a double-century opening partnership since 2012 and was just the 10th double century opening partnership in West Indies history and the seventh pair to do so.
The partnership was also the highest ever opening stand against Zimbabwe.
The 150-run stand came up in 67.2 overs while the 200-run partnership was achieved in 83.2 overs.
Only 51 overs were possible as rain played a massive part on day one of the first Test between the West Indies and Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.
On a flat pitch, Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat first.
Brathwaite and opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul then both played typical patient knocks to end the day 112-0 after 51 overs when the heavens opened.
In the process, Brathwaite brought up his 29th Test fifty while Chanderpaul, playing in just his third match, brought up his second half century in Tests.
Both batsmen ended the day not out on 55, with Brathwaite’s knock coming off 138 balls and including two fours and Chanderpaul’s coming off 170 balls and including eight boundaries.
After nearly two weeks of preparation in Bulawayo, West Indies interim head coach is eagerly awaiting the first ball of the series on Saturday morning. According to Andre Coley, the preparation has been sufficient, with numerous practice sessions and a dominant display in the three-day warm-up match against the Zimbabwe XI, across town at the Bulawayo Sports Club.
Now the attention switches the “big show” – the first Test against Zimbabwe, and the location moves to the Queens Sports Club, where the two teams will meet.
“We are confident that the areas that we wanted to address and spend some time on, we were able to do so. The facilities have generally been good and offered us enough to get through what we needed to,” Coley said.
He also expressed pleasure at the way the players have been responding to the training, noting that they have been putting in extra work in the nets and on fitness.
Regarding getting ahead and eventually winning the series, he is looking for consistency in all areas.
Wary that Zimbabwe are highly competitive at home, the West Indies will be eager to start the year right, having enjoyed some success in the longest format over the past 18 months and a series in South Africa to follow.
The first Test will begin on Saturday, February 4. First ball is 10am (4am Eastern Caribbean/3am Jamaica).
Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas and Jomel Warrican
West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva says he is thankful for the opportunity to spend some time in the middle ahead of the side’s two Test matches against Zimbabwe beginning on February 4.
Da Silva made a well-compiled 100 off 149 balls as the Windies scored a massive 517 in their first innings of a tour match against a Zimbabwe XI in Bulawayo. The match was declared a draw on Monday after the West Indies reached 82-2 in their second innings after dismissing the hosts for 122.
“It’s always good when you get to spend some time in the middle in a practice game. I had fun out there,” the 24-year-old Trinidadian said.
“It is a decent pitch. Some balls are staying a bit low but I think the boys have really applied themselves and made the most of the opportunity to get into the middle. The goal set out by Kraigg (Brathwaite) was to bat a day and a half and we did that. Kraigg gave us a target of 450 an hour after lunch on the second day and we got that as well. We ticked all the boxes and, hopefully, we can transfer that into the Test series,” Da Silva added.
Brathwaite got a hundred of his own, stroking 116 off 170 deliveries, and Da Silva commented on his skipper’s form heading into the series.
“Everybody’s seen it. We know the kind of form he’s in and ever since he’s gotten the captaincy his form has taken an uphill climb. It’s been a joy to watch for me and I try to take little things from him and add it to my game,” he said.
Da Silva also commended his bowlers, especially Alzarri Joseph, who he said was able to extract some good pace out of a slow wicket.
“I think Alzarri’s pace opening up really surprised them. He was bowling quite fast on the pitch and it’s not a quick pitch by any means. To see him run in, give his full effort and bowl as fast as he could was really good.”
Joshua Da Silva scored the second unbeaten century of the innings to leave the West Indies in total command against a Zimbabwe XI on Sunday’s second day of their three-day match at Bulawayo.
The Trinidadian wicketkeeper/batsman retired not out as the West Indies amassed 517 from 132.5 overs. The visiting bowlers then struck early and often to reduce the Zimbabwe XI to 52-5 at stumps.
Da Silva’s ton that came from 149 balls and included 13 fours followed that of Captain Kraigg Brathwaite retired on 116 on Saturday.
Resuming on his overnight score on nine and Devon Thomas on 42 with the score on 313-5, the pair added 23 to their partnership of 18 before Thomas was dismissed for 49.
Da Silva and Roston Chase then mounted a seventh-wicket stand of 158 before he retired leaving Chase unbeaten on 87 at the end after Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph were dismissed for four and 11, respectively.
Milton Shumba was the best of the Zimbabwe XI bowlers with 3-80. Donald Tiripano took 2-34.
Chasing the mammoth total, Zimbabwe XI were in early trouble when Joseph had opener Kudzai Maunze caught behind for a duck in the second over of the innings.
He later dismissed Joylord Gumbie in similar fashion for 11 in the sixth over to have Zimbabwe XI struggling on 12-2. Kyle Mayers got among the wickets when he dismissed Tanunurwa Makoni for 13 as the side slipped to 30-3.
Jason Holder made it 31-4 when he trapped Wessly Madhevere lbw for nought and Shannon Gabriel dismissed Tony Munyonga for one to make it 36-5.
Timycen Maruma (15*) and Shumba who is nine not out managed to inch towards the close of play without further loss.
Joseph has so far taken 2-14 for the West Indies while Holder has 1-2 from four overs.
West Indies Vice-Captain Jermaine Blackwood says he is looking to score big runs in their upcoming two-match series away to Zimbabwe.
“I’m feeling pretty good at the moment. I’m hitting the ball very well in the nets,” the 31-year-old told members of the media in a press conference on Friday.
“The way I’m feeling now, I feel like my old self from a few years ago so, hopefully, I can go out there and out in some good performances for the team,” he added.
Blackwood is coming off a modest tour of Australia where he scored 63 runs in four innings at an average of just 15.75. In those four innings he recorded scores of 36, 24, three and zero.
Despite the poor returns, Blackwood noted that the failures were not due to tough luck rather than poor form.
“I never really had any difficulties. I just didn’t get the scores I wanted,” he said.
“In the first game, I thought I got a hard decision in the first innings with the LBW against Mitchell Starc and then, in the second innings, I thought I was unfortunate when the ball hit my bat then my thigh pad and lobbed up to Labuschagne. In the second game I didn’t really get a start,” he added.
Nevertheless, Blackwood views the two matches against Zimbabwe as an opportunity to score some much-needed runs ahead of the team’s three-match tour of South Africa starting on February 28.
“My goal is to score as much runs as possible. In the last three series, I haven’t scored any centuries so I’m looking forward to scoring at least one in this series and get the form going for the South Africa series coming up shortly,” he said.
As he mentioned, his last Test hundred came in March 2022 against England at the Kensington Oval.
Since then, he’s scored 237 runs in eight innings at an average of 29.62 with one half century, 63 against Bangladesh in Antigua in June 2022.
The first Test against Zimbabwe bowls off on February 4.
West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite signalled his intent for the Caribbean side’s upcoming two Tests against Zimbabwe with an unbeaten 116 on the first day of their four-day tour match against a Zimbabwe XI in Bulawayo on Saturday.
The tourists ended day one on 313-5 in their 90 overs, led by the skipper who retired his innings after reaching 116 from 170 balls.
Brathwaite, a member of the ICC Test Team of the Year for 2022, shared in a 137-run opening stand with Tagenarine Chanderpaul after the hosts won the toss and elected to field first.
Their stand ended when Chanderpaul was dismissed for 46 by pacer Tanaka Chivanga in the 43rd over.
The next man to go was Raymon Reifer for 23 before Nkrumah Bonner (3) and Jermaine Blackwood (17) followed soon after.
With the team at 240-4 in the 71st over, Kyle Mayers and Devon Thomas combined to add another 55 runs to the Windies’ total before Mayers was dismissed for 46.
The day ended with Thomas and Joshua Da Silva at the crease on 42 and nine, respectively.
Chivanga, Donald Tiripano, Wessly Madhevere, Priveledge Chesa and Milton Shumba all took a wicket apiece.
Scores after Day One: West Indies 313-5 from 90 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 116, Kyle Mayers 46, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 46)
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