adminTHE first day of the four-day cricket match between Zimbabwe A and Ireland belonged to the hosts, but the second day yesterday belonged to the visitors. Zimbabwe failed to reach the total of 400 runs that had looked likely on the first evening, and at the close of play Ireland were fighting their way back.Stuart Poynter, with an impressive maiden first-class century, led the fightback, and received good backing from other batsmen.
Zimbabwe A resumed at their overnight score of 352/6, with Malcolm Waller on 119 and Trevor Garwe on 13. They had high hopes of passing 400, but it was not to be due to the weakness of the tail, which gave Waller little support. The last four wickets fell for 40 runs in just over an hour. Garwe went for 21 runs before Natsai M’shangwe provided a humorous moment by slicing the first ball he faced past the slips for four and then his bat broke in half as he played the next shot firmly towards the covers.
Before long, though, Waller was left with last man Tatenda Mupunga at the crease and he was the last man out, edging a pull to the keeper down the leg side after scoring a laboured 138 off 183 balls, with 13 fours and a six. John Mooney was the most consistent of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 74 runs, and four also fell to Craig Young, who bowled some fine deliveries at a good pace but tended to be erratic and expensive and went for 107 runs.
Ireland opened their batting with Paul Stirling and Poynter facing Brian Vitori and Trevor Garwe, who can be quite a formidable new-ball pairing when at their best. The pair added 101 until Balbirnie (44) was trapped lbw by leg-spinner M’shangwe. Niall O’Brien joined Poynter, who continued to flourish, and they had registered 156/2 at tea, with Poynter on 83 and O’Brien 7.
Afterwards, Poynter, showing all the confidence in the world, raced through the 90s and reached his maiden career century in his ninth first-class match off 141 balls. He did a fine job in holding his team’s innings together in the face of a large first-innings total. The Irish batsmen were now on top just as much as the Zimbabwe A batsmen had been on the previous day, and the Zimbabwean spinners right now could do nothing to stop the flow of runs.
The third-wicket pair put on 80, of which O’Brien made 21, before Godwill Mamhiyo dismissed him, thanks to a superb catch at slip by Vusumuzi Sibanda, who was making his mark on the match for the first time. Captain Mamhiyo brought back Vitori, who immediately had Poynter driving uppishly to midwicket where Mamhiyo himself took the catch. Poynter went for 125 off 166 balls, with 18 fours, and Ireland were now 212/4.
Ten runs later, Stuart Thompson went for four, slashing at a ball from Vitori outside the off stump and edging it to second slip. Gary Wilson had made a very slow start to his innings, but now began to climb against some rather inaccurate bowling, while Kevin O’Brien gave him good support.
They looked likely to survive the day until Mamhiyo brought on Sibanda to bowl the final over of the day, and he had Wilson caught with one of his newly acquired off-breaks. Wilson had made a useful 47 and Ireland closed the day on 292/6. One notable feature of the match has been the over rate by both teams, despite the large proportion of overs that were bowled by spinners.
On both days so far, the extra half-hour was almost entirely used up due to this delay in the field. — ZC
Online Reporter