The Sunday Mail
Only Shai Hope stood firm for West Indies on the first day at Queens Sports Club as Zimbabwe’s bowlers chipped consistently away to bowl West Indies out for 219.
The performance ensured the hosts had the upper hand at the close at 19 for no loss.
Spinners Graeme Cremer and Sean Williams were the stars of the day taking seven of the 10 wickets that fell.
Cremer finished with four for 64 from 23.5 overs, while Williams took three for 20 runs from his 13 overs.
The returning Kyle Jarvis, debutant Solomon Mire and Raza Sikandar Butt chipped in with a wicket each.
For much of the day West Indies and Zimbabwe both threw punches in an engaging back-and-forth contest, but the Zimbabwean spinners came to the fore after tea with seven wickets in the session.
West Indies collapsed from 174 for 3 to 219 all out, and Hope was left stranded on 90 not out.
It was Sikandar Raza’s offspin that prompted the start of West Indies’ collapse in the afternoon sunshine.
He had Roston Chase caught via the inside edge by Craig Ervine at short leg – the second of four smart catches Ervine would take in the position – to break a 64-run partnership after tea.
That was West Indies’ last combination of any substance.
Graeme Cremer quickly had Jermaine Blackwood stumped, and Sean Williams then made the most of helpful conditions to nip Shane Dowrich, Jason Holder and Devendra Bishoo out in quick succession: a spell of 3 for 2 in four overs for him.
There were barely any partnership to talk of from the Caribbeans, except of the third and fourth wicket stands of 75 and 64. — Cricinfo/Sports Reporter
