Gary Ballance had a memorable debut for Zimbabwe, scoring 137 in the first innings.©AFP
Zimbabwe survived the loss of centurion Gary Ballance in the first innings and some test spin bowling from West Indies duo Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase to cling to a draw in the first Test at Bulawayo on Wednesday. Set 272 to win in a minimum of 49 overs after West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite announced their second innings at 203 for five, Zimbabwe staggered to 134 for six before stumps were drawn. That represented a gritty rearguard of Zimbabwe’s lower order after they fell to 119 for five with former England batsman Ballance pushing Chase to wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva for 18.
Any thought of chasing the fictional target was long gone and the emphasis shifted to surviving the last 70 balls at the Queens Sports Club.
Brad Evans was sent off for a duck eight balls later and after taking six wickets through Motie and Chase the tourists felt a dramatic victory.
But wicket-keeper Tafadzwa Tsiga dug in with a dogged 24 not out from 83 balls, while tail-ender Wellington Masakadza delivered 36 for a crucial match-saving nothing not out.
The first three innings of the match were all called with nearly 100 overs lost to rain over the first two days.
West Indies opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul was named player of the match for his 207 not out in the first innings, his maiden Test century.
Ballance also had a memorable debut for Zimbabwe, marking it out with 137 in the first innings, making him only the second batsman after Kepler Wessels to score Test centuries for two countries.
Ballance hit four tons for England before his century against the West Indies, while South African-born Wessels hit four tons for Australia and two for his homeland.
Motie bowled 24 overs to claim four for 50, while Chase took two wickets while conceding just nine runs in 12 overs, including six maidens.
The second and final Test starts on Sunday.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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