adminthe first day of the two-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe XI at Kwekwe Sports Club yesterday.
The teams are playing the 90-over mandatory declaration match as preparation for the two four-day matches in Harare.
Tim Paine chose to bat first after winning the toss, an apparent decision on a flat and slow pitch.
Overcast, cold and windy conditions assisted the bowlers for just over 10 overs from the start of the match and that was the most of any decent movement the bowlers got all day.
Tuskers’ Njabulo Ncube removed Philip Hughes (27) when Hughes got an inside edge and played to the stumps.
In the 23rd over Usman Khawaja (8) got caught behind off the bowling of Elton Chigumbura. By lunch Australia were at 164/2 with David Warner and Callum Ferguson in the middle. Warner at the time, had 112 runs after facing 110 balls and his cameo featured 13 boundaries and four sixes while his partner Ferguson had was on 10 from 26 deliveries.
Zimbabwe XI captain Vusi Sibanda rotated his bowlers and only managed to break the 152 run partnership when Warner was caught at deep mid-wicket.
Warner had scored 152 runs from 141 deliveries after hitting 21 boundaries and four sixes.
Aaron Finch was the last wicket to fall in the innings before his captain Tim Paine (18) and his vice added 50 runs to close the innings at 427/4 at stumps. Ferguson was top scoring with 156 from 214 balls in an innings featuring 21 boundaries and a six.
Scoreboard
Zimbabwe XI vs Australia ‘A’ warm-up matchWarner c Chinouya b Mushangwe 152 Hughes b Ncube 27
Khawaja c Chakabva b Chigumbura 8
Ferguson not out 156
Finch c Jarvis b Masakadza 63
Tim Paine not out 18
Extras (nb 3) 3Total (for four wickets in 90 overs) 427
Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Hughes, 12.5 ov), 2-96 (Khuwaja, 22.2 ov), 3-231 (Warner, 44.5 ov), 4-377 (Finch, 74.3 ov)
Bowling: Masakadza 12-0-53-1 (nb 2), Panyangara 13-0-56-0, Jarvis 15-2-59-0, Ncube 11-1-59-1, Chigumbura 12-2-51-1, Mushangwe 9-0-70-1, Waller 18-0-78-0
– ZimCricket.org
Online Reporter