HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe spinner Ray Price claimed his first match haul of 10 wickets but could not stop West Indies escaping with a losing draw in the first Test yesterday.
Set 373 to win, West Indies survived a top-order crisis to cling on and end the final day on 207 for nine, with wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs saving his side with 61 not out after occupying the crease for three hours.
He and number 11 Fidel Edwards survived 11.5 overs.
Zimbabwe, looking for their first win over West Indies, had the consolation of ending a run of 11 consecutive Test defeats. The second and final Test starts on Wednesday in Bulawayo.
The home team dominated the encounter from the start after scoring 507 for nine in their first innings before bowling out their opponents for 335, with Price taking a Test-best six wickets for 73.
Zimbabwe then rattled up 200 for seven before declaring again and pressing for victory with 83 overs remaining.
Left-arm spinner Price was again the mainstay of the attack, with four for 89 and a match analysis of 10 for 162.
He became the third Zimbabwean, after leg-spinners Paul Strang and Adam Huckle, to take 10 wickets in a Test.
Fast bowler Andy Blignaut took two for 49 with the help of a brutish final spell, while fast bowler Heath Streak did the early damage in claiming two for 28.
WINDIES COLLAPSE
West Indies had reached lunch looking comfortable on 18 without loss only to lose three wickets, including that of Brian Lara, for one run shortly after the break.
Wavell Hinds pulled a delivery from Streak to Stuart Carlisle at an unorthodox shallow square leg position to be dismissed for 24.
Four balls later, with the total unchanged, Chris Gayle drove recklessly at a wide delivery from Price and was caught behind for 13.
A run and 11 balls after that Lara, having faced six balls for a single, offered no stroke to a ball from Price that pitched on the left-hander's off-stump and seemed to track away from the wicket.
Umpire Billy Bowden adjudged Lara to be out leg-before.
At 38 for three, the West Indies were wobbling. But Daren Ganga and Ramnaresh Sarwan held up Zimbabwe's progress for 11 overs until Ganga charged Price and was bowled for 16.
Six overs before tea, Sarwan heaved clumsily at a ball from off-spinner Trevor Gripper to be stumped by Tatenda Taibu for 39 as the match swung Zimbabwe's way again.
SUBLIME CHANDERPAUL
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jacobs then put down defensive roots in a stand that lasted 78 minutes and yielded 68 runs.
Chanderpaul, in particular, countered the spinners with sublime footwork and canny placement. But, on 39, he drove a ball from Price to Vusimuzi Sibanda at mid-wicket.
Blignaut returned an hour after tea and produced a fine spell during which he was timed at 151.2 km/h.
He hit Jacobs several times and had Vasbert Drakes caught behind for four with a ball that whistled past the batsman at shoulder height.
The West Indies sank to 194 for eight when Blignaut, bowling to six slips, a short leg, a short midwicket and a short cover, had Jerome Taylor caught at the second attempt by Matsikenyeri at fifth slip.
It was 204 for nine with 11.5 overs left when Corey Collymore fell to Price, caught by Mark Vermeulen at silly point.
Zimbabwe captain Streak turned to Price and Gripper as the shadows lengthened, with all nine fielders clustered around the bat only for Jacobs and Edwards, who faced 33 balls for his one not out, to survive.