THREE-DAY WARM-UP MATCH: SAGICOR HPC VS ZIMBABWE

Day 1 at the Desmond Haynes Oval, Black Rock, Barbados, 07 March 2013
End of day: Zimbabwe 222/5.

Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza is having the perfect dress rehearsal for the first Test of the International Home Series 2013 against the West Indies.

He was 109 not out at stumps, on the first day of the three-day warm-up match against the Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) – which is the West Indies academy side.

As he has done in four of the six matches that Zimbabwe has played in the West Indies so far, Brendan Taylor won the toss. As he has been doing lately, he opted to bat.

The first wicket to fall was that of Vusimuzi Sibanda, caught by Keddy Lesporis off the bowling of Kemar Roach. He had made 13 runs and his exit left Zimbabwe 23 for one. Masakadza and Tinotenda Mawoyo then made a 61-run stand for the second wicket, before the latter was trapped leg-before-wicket by Sheldon Cotterrell. He had made just 14 runs but his occupation of 140 minutes showed his potential for the yardstick format of the game.

Masakadza stayed on as he continued to lose partners – Brendan Taylor (20) out lbw to Jomel Warrican and Sean Williams (7) caught by Jason Dawes off Yannic Cariah, until he reached his century which came off 223 balls, 12th of them fours and two sixes.

For HPC, Warrican took two wickets for 48 runs in 19 overs, while Roach and Cotterrell picked up one each.

The Zimbabwe innings will resume Friday with Masakadza (109*) and Malcolm Waller (45*) at the crease.

The first Test between the West Indies and Zimbabwe starts on Tuesday, at the Kensington Oval.