BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza’s 89 and Regis Chakabva’s unbeaten 71 allowed Zimbabwe to hold off the West Indies in the second Test and earn their first draw in 12 years on Thursday.
With Raza making his third major contribution of the match and Chakabva batting out almost 50 overs in an unbroken stand of 91 with captain Graeme Cremer, Zimbabwe reached 301 for seven in their second innings before the two teams shook hands on the draw.
The West Indies had looked the likeliest side to secure victory on the final day, when Raza’s dismissal left Zimbabwe on 210 for seven, leading by just 88 runs with nearly 64 overs still left in the day.
But Chakabva and Cremer shut up shop and the West Indies were unable to break the partnership, forcing them to be content with a 1-0 series victory.
With Zimbabwe declining the opportunity to declare during the interval, the game headed into the final session with neither side making a compelling case for why they should win the game. The hosts began the fifth day on 140 for four and added just four runs before Peter Moor was caught at gully for 42 off the bowling of Shannon Gabriel. Malcolm Waller then completed a disappointing series with the bat when he scored just 15 before edging a delivery from legspinner Devendra Bishoo to slip.
But Raza was unmoved, using a review to overturn an incorrect lbw call after he had been given out on 72, before becoming the second player after South Africa’s Jacques Kallis to score 80 or more runs in both innings of a Test and take a five-wicket haul. — AFP
Scoreboard
Zimbabwe first innings 326 all out
West Indies first innings 448 all out
Zimbabwe second innings
H Masakadza b Roach 5
S Mire lbw Roach 0
C Ervine b Bishoo 22
B Taylor lbw Gabriel 10
P Moor c S Hope b Gabriel 42
Sikandar Raza b Holder 89
M Waller c Blackwood b Bishoo 15
R Chakabva not out 71
G Cremer not out 28
Extras (10b, 8lb, 1nb) 19
Total (7 wkts, 144 overs) 301
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-8, 3-23, 4-46, 5-144, 6-172, 7-210
Bowling: Gabriel 21-7-34-2, Roach 22-10-37-2, Brathwaite 17-2-44-0, Holder 22-7-42-1, Bishoo 34-7-74-2, Chase 17-3-31-0, Blackwood 10-4-21-0, Powell 1-1-0-0
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