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ZIMBABWE might have lost their one-off Test against Ireland on Sunday but how good was paceman Richard Ngarava in that devastating spell of fast bowling on Saturday evening?
It was one of the best displays by a Zimbabwean pacer and Ngarava appeared to have bowled his team into a position to win the match.
He took four wickets in a superb spell to leave Ireland 33-5 in a run chase of 158 to win the Test match at Stormont.
The hosts were in a commanding position after bowling Zimbabwe out for 197 in their second innings on Saturday afternoon.
But Ireland were reduced to 6-3 and 21-5 as Ngarava ripped through the top order, with Zimbabwe’s charge only halted when bad light brought a premature end to play.
There were ducks for PJ Moor, Curtis Campher and Harry Tector while Andrew Balbirnie (4) and Paul Stirling (10) also fell cheaply.
Ngarava finished the day with career-best figures of 4-12 while Blessing Muzarabani also picked up a wicket.
Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine spoke of his side’s excellent bowling attack.
“The future looks bright with fast bowlers like Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Tanaka Chivanga. We maybe would have liked a few more overs last night but that’s how this game goes.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Ireland in the New Year.”
Ireland captain, Andrew Balbirnie. Cut a much more positive figure being interviewed on Sunday than he did on Saturday.
He said his side believed they could win even after the disastrous evening session on Saturday.
“We spoke in the dressing room last night about how we had two of the best test batsmen at the crease and that we still believed we could win.
“The beauty of Test cricket is the ebbs and flows. Last (Saturday) night was a tough watch but today we got our rewards for four days of hard work and we are delighted to win this Test here in front of our friends, family and fans.” — Sports Reporter/BBC Sport.
Online Reporter