ZIM v WI, 2nd Test, Day 2 Review: Hamilton Masakadza takes Zimbabwe to a fighting total

Zimbabwe were in good position coming into Day 2 of the second Test of the series. At one stage they were struggling at 14/3 in the first innings and it appeared to be going downhill. But a brilliant century from Hamilton Masakadza ensured that they stayed afloat in the match even after a stuttering start. It was turning out to be a very interesting match when rain forced early stumps.

Zimbabwe started Day 2 on 169/4 and needed a big century from Masakadza to score a large first innings total. The veteran had the company of Sikandar Raza and they started the day on a positive note. The two built a strong partnership and put the hosts in a good position.

At 246/4 they looked set to reach a score of more than 400. Masakadza who was batting really well lost his wicket to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. The right-handed batsman had already done his job before being dismissed though he would’ve wanted to carry on but the knock of 147 certainly deserves a lot of credit.

He batted for 240 balls to score 147 runs; he scored at a strike rate over 60 which is brilliant considering the conditions. Masakadza’s innings which included 16 fours and 2 sixes that entertained the crowd. After his fall, Zimbabwe kept losing the wickets at regular intervals.

None of the remaining batsmen were able to contribute much to the Zimbabwe total. Sikandar Raza did try his best to hold one end while he kept losing partners at the other end. Captain of Zimbabwe, Graeme Cremer was the only batsman who stayed at the crease for a substantial amount of time. Cremer only scored 11 runs, but he batted out 66 balls and tried his best to provide support to the in-form Sikandar Raza.

Raza batted really well before being dismissed by Shanon Gabriel for 80. Zimbabwe’s score read 310/8 then, none of the other batters was able to offer any resistance as they folded up for the score of 326. Only 3 batsmen were able to score more 11 runs as only Masakadza, Raza and Moor got off to a start.

Windies innings

The first innings total of 326 is decent in these conditions and Windies knew that they needed a good performance from their batsmen if they wanted to get an upper hand in the match. Windies started the innings in a cautious manner as they scored at a run-rate of less than 2 in over.

The Windies openers preferred to remain in their shell as they scored at snail’s pace. Kraigg Brathwaite scored at a strike-rate of 20 as he only hit 2 hours in the innings in which he faced 160 balls. Brathwaite was dismissed by the Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer at the fag end of Day 2.

Kieran Powell was slightly less defensive than Brathwaite as he scored at a strike-rate of slightly less than 35. Powell remained unbeaten at the close of Day 2, at the score of 43. He took 123 runs to score those 43 runs, as he hit 4 fours in his innings. Bishoo came as the night-watchman after the wicket of Brathwaite. The leg-spinner did his job well, as he kept his own at the crease.

Bishoo had to face 11 balls at the end of Day 2 as Windies ended the Day 2 without any further casualties. The Windies scored 78 runs in 49 overs at a run rate of less than 1.60 which is too slow even by the Test standards. The Windies would have to bat at a faster pace on Day 3 if they want to put themselves in a winning position.

Brief Scores:

Ist Innings:

Zimbabwe– 326 in 109.1 overs (Hamilton Masakadza 147, Sikandar Raza 80; Kemar Roach 3/44)

Windies- 78/1 in 49 overs (Powell 43*, Brathwaite 32; Cremer 1/31)