BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe, chasing 233 for victory, stumbled to 90 for nine before bad light stopped play 12 overs early on the fourth day of the second and final Test against West Indies, yesterday.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Ray Price claimed his 19th wicket of the series as the tourists collapsed to 128 all out in their second innings, giving Zimbabwe real hopes of victory.
But the home side subsided to the off spin of Omari Banks who took three for 35 in 15 overs.
In all, 18 wickets fell on a day of poor batting on a deteriorating surface and the West Indies are on the verge of winning the series after the first Test in Harare was drawn.
They resumed their second innings on 13 for one and lost nine wickets for 115 runs to be dismissed 18 overs after lunch.
Brian Lara, who made 191 in the first innings, was out for one, bowled by a Heath Streak in-swinging yorker.
Opener Wavell Hinds top-scored with 28 after two hours at the crease before becoming another victim of Price who ended the innings with four for 36 off 21 overs.
Merv Dillon stroked 27 not out but the end came when Fidel Edwards was bowled by all-rounder Andy Blignaut without scoring.
Zimbabwe's run chase got off to a poor start when Vusi Sibanda edged the fourth ball of the innings, bowled by Dillon to Lara at first slip, without a run on the board.
Mark Vermeulen, who scored 118 in the first innings, played on to Hinds to be bowled for 24 and after that the writing was on the wall with the home side crashing to 75 for nine.
Streak (not out 19) and Blessing Mahwire (not out four) delayed the inevitable but the West Indies may count themselves lucky to emerge as series winners after having to cling on desperately for a draw in the first Test.
Banks said of this Test: ``We came here expecting to play five days of hard cricket and it would have been nice to finish off the opposition today, but that's cricket.
``We put ourselves in a situation where we were under a bit of pressure, but we came through in the end.''
Streak said: ``Batting last and chasing anything over 150 on this wicket was always going to be difficult.
``We had a couple of soft dismissals, but you've got to ride your luck on a pitch like this.''
WEST Indies first innings 481 (B.Lara 191, W.Hinds 81, R.Sarwan 65; R.Price 5-199)
Zimbabwe first innings 377 (M.Vermeulen 118, C.Wishart 96; C.Collymore 4-70)
WEST Indies second innings (o/n 13-1)
C.Gayle lbw b Streak 0
W.Hinds c Wishart b Price 28
D.Ganga c Carlisle b Blignaut 8
B.Lara b Streak 1
R.Sarwan c Wishart b Blignaut 9
S.Chanderpaul lbw b Streak 15
R.Jacobs c Blignaut b Price 10
O.Banks c Vermeulen b Price 16
M.Dillon not out 27
C.Collymore b Price 0
F.Edwards b Blignaut 0
Extras (b-5, lb-3, nb-2, w-4) 14
Total: (all out, 52.4 overs) 128
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-17, 3-21, 4-51, 5-51, 6-82, 7-82, 8-127, 9-127.