THREE-DAY WARM-UP MATCH: SAGICOR HPC VS ZIMBABWE
Day 2 at the Desmond Haynes Oval, Black Rock, Barbados, 08 March 2013
End of day: Zimbabwe (255/8 dec) lead the Sagicor High Performance Centre (213/7) by 42 runs.
Resuming on their overnight score of 222 for five, Zimbabwe added 33 runs on the second day and then declared their first innings of the warm-up match against the Sagicor High Performance Centre.
The HPC then fought back and were trailing by 42 runs with three wickets in hand, going into the third and final day of the match, at the Desmond Haynes Oval in Black Rock, Barbados.
Zimbabwe had resumed their innings with Hamilton Masakadza and Malcolm Waller at the crease. They continued with their good work of the previous day and the spectators were beginning to settle for some quality cricket provided gratis at the Carlton Cricket Club ground now named after legendary West Indian opener, 1991 Wisden cricketer of the year and former club president Desmond Haynes.
But the partnership would not last. With the first ball of the 95th over, Waller reached his 50 which came off 105 balls, eight of them fours. No sooner had the applause died down than Masakadza was walking, run out by the last ball of that over. He had added just three runs to his overnight 109.
Masakadza and Waller’s 74-run partnership was as good as it got for Zimbabwe with Regis Chakabva coming and departing after adding a single to the score, the victim of another run-out, and then Waller himself (64) caught by Jahmar Hamilton from the bowling of Miguel Cummins.
Thereafter, Zimbabwe declared.
The HPC chase was led by captain Kyle Hope who made 62 (seven fours, one six) before Graeme Cremer had him caught by Raymond Price. His was the third wicket to fall to the leg-spinner, who had earlier accounted for West Indies international Marlon Samuels (55), Jermaine Blackwood (0), Keddy Lesporis (13) and then, after Hope, dismissed Hamilton for 37 – thanks to a catch from the top drawer by Malcolm Waller.
Cremer finished with figures of five wickets for 74 runs in 21overs, and Kyle Jarvis two for 37 in 13 overs, to leave the HPC 213 runs for seven wickets at the close of play.
The three-day warm-up match is part of Zimbabwe’s preparation for the first Test of the West Indies International Home Series 2013, which starts on Tuesday at the Kensington Oval, referred to affectionately by the locals as “The Mecca” of cricket.
