Zimbabwe 210 and 12 for 0 (Gumbie 7*, Masvaure 4*) trail Ireland 250 (Moor 79, McBrine 28, Humphreys 27*, Chivanga 3-39, Muzarabani 3-53) by 28 runs
The day had started quite like the first morning, with batters dominating proceedings. Opener Andrew Balbirnie made only 19 but gave able support to Moor, who batted at top gear. Together they set the new Ireland record for the highest opening partnership of 71, and Moor also got his first Ireland fifty, his sixth overall. The highlight of his innings was his run-scoring square on both sides of the pitch and none down the ground. His strokes helped Ireland rollick at 4.6 per over in a 25-over morning session that took them to 115 for 2.
Chivanga, playing only his second Test, was the most consistent of the Zimbabwe bowlers early on, and his consistent groupings on a good length, or slightly fuller, earned him just rewards. He struck with his second ball of the day in the 16th over to earn the first Ireland wicket when Balbirnie chipped a flick to square leg. He added a second in the 22nd over when his delivery squared Curtis Campher up and found the outside edge. Those two dismissals ensured the morning session wasn’t a complete knock-out for Zimbabwe.
However, the tide turned in Zimbabwe’s favour after lunch under grey skies. Chivanga trapped Harry Tector (4) lbw for a third wicket, and in the same over Paul Stirling – coming in at No. 5 – gloved a short ball to gully for a catch. But Stirling survived courtesy of a front-foot no-ball, and he, along with Moor opted for attritional cricket to arrest any further collapse. The pair added 50 out of which only 30 runs came off the bat and 20 via byes and wides. Their stonewalling ended when Muzarabani tore open the Ireland middle order with two wickets in two balls that triggered more dismissals.
It was Moor who first tickled Muzarabani’s short ball behind in the 36th over to depart for 79. Next ball, Lorcan Tucker was out lbw for a duck with a full ball angling in and beating his flick. Left-arm spinner Sean Williams then accounted for Stirling (22), when he edged a ball turning away to first slip, followed by his dismissal of Mark Adair.
Ireland slid from 163 for 3 to 189 for 7 in swift time, and it soon became 200 for 8 when Chatara dismissed Barry McCarthy off the last ball before tea. Muzarabani added a third at the start of the final session to leave Zimbabwe one wicket away from taking a first-innings lead, but the McBrine-Humphreys pair counterattacked after another rain break to smash 47 in 44 balls.
