BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, CMC - West Indies completed a 128-run triumph over Zimbabwe in the second and final cricket Test, yesterday, to take their two-Test series 1-0.
The visitors needed only 35 minutes on the fifth and final day at the Queens Sports Club to bowl out Zimbabwe for 104 in their second innings, after the hosts were set 233 for victory and crashed to 90 for nine the previous evening.
The opening Test at Harare had ended in a nail-biting draw when West Indies, set 373 to win, were nine wickets down and had to rely on Ridley Jacobs and Fidel Edwards to bat them to safety.
For several reasons, the second Test would be memorable to West Indies captain Brian Lara.
It was his first victory in an overseas Test as West Indies captain and he scored his 22nd Test hundred, a stroke-filled 191, that won him the man-of-the-match award and made him the leading scorer for West Indies in Tests with 8 625, surpassing Sir Vivian Richards.
“It was a good workout for us going into the series against South Africa,” Lara said in the post-match interview.
“A lot of people will say that Zimbabwe are one of the minnows of world cricket, but I thought they played 10 days of Test cricket against us and were very determined.”
Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, whose undefeated 33 was the top score, and batting bunny Blessing Mahwire survived seven overs before he was bowled by Dillon for four to formalise the result.
“It’s disappointing to lose like this, especially after having bowled very well to get ourselves back into the match,” Streak said.
“They bowled superbly and Brian Lara’s innings set it up for them. But we are looking forward to a competitive One-day International series.”
The first One-day International of five between the two teams, starts on Saturday at Bulawayo.
WEST Indies 1st innings 481 (Brian Lara 191, Wavell Hinds 81, Ramnaresh Sarwan 65; Ray Price 5-199)
Zimbabwe 1st innings 377 (Mark Vermeulen 118, Craig Wishart 96, Corey Collymore 4-70)
WEST INDIES 2nd innings 128
Zimbabwe 2nd innings (o/n 90-9)
V.Sibanda c Lara b Dillon 0
T.Gripper c Ganga b Banks 8
M.Vermeulen b Hinds 24
S.Carlisle c Jacobs b Banks 9
C.Wishart c Jacobs b Hinds 13
A.Blignaut lbw b Banks 3
S.Matsikenyeri run-out 5
T.Taibu lbw b Collymore 1
H.Streak not out 33
R.Price b Collymore 4
B.Mahwire b Dillon 4
Extras: 0
Total: (all out, 49 overs) 104
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-32, 3-33, 4-54, 5-56, 6-62, 7-63, 8-67, 9-75.
Bowling: Dillon 8-2-17-2, Collymore 15-2-29-2, Hinds 9-2-20-2, Banks 15-2-35-3, Sarwan 2-1-3-0.
Result: West Indies won by 128 runs, won two-match series 1-0.
First Test: match drawn