Ireland bowlers hold sway on the opening day of the historic Zimbabwe Test

Ireland v Zimbabwe, Scorecard

Ireland’s home Test in Belfast is their maiden encounter against Zimbabwe in the format. It is also the first Test to be played in Northern Ireland.

It seemed that the Men in Green carried the confidence from their maiden Test win against Afghanistan earlier this year, when they overcame a steady Zimbabwe start to bowl the African side out for 210. Barry McCarthy (3/42) and Andy McBrine (3/37) starred for the hosts, while Prince Masvaure (74), Joylord Gumbie (49), and Sean Williams (35) stood out for Zimbabwe.

Earlier, Ireland won the toss and elected to field. Matthew Humphreys returned to the Test arena for the first time in almost a year for the hosts. On the other hand, Zimbabwe handed three debuts to Joylord Gumbie, Clive Madande, and Brian Bennett respectively.

Hosts dominate in favourable conditions

Zimbabwe were off to a solid start on the back of composed knocks from Gumbie and Prince Masvaure. The duo added 85 runs for no loss in the first session. However, with rain around the corner and dark skies overhead, there was always something for the bowlers, and Ireland made the most of it.

The second session saw the first Irish success when Barry McCarthy had Gumbie (49) caught by Curtis Campher, just when the batter was on the cusp of his maiden Test fifty. Soon after his partner Masvaure, playing his first Zimbabwe international since 2021, hit his fourth Test half-century.

Ireland, however, picked the initiative from the Gumbie breakthrough and struck twice further in the session.

The Men in Green had the advantage early in the third session, when they sent back the set Masvaure (74) in the 56th over. And they made the most of it, by running through the African side, reducing them from 193/4 to 210 all out.

The slide began with a double strike from off-spinner Andy McBrine, sending back Sean Williams (35), and Madande (0) off back-to-back deliveries. Mark Adair opened his account by getting Bennett (8) caught behind in the next over. The wickets continued to tumble as McBrine added another scalp in his long spell by getting Blessing Muzarabani caught at first slip for 4 soon after.

Adair and Craig Young wiped off the tail in no time.

Rain and wet outfield after this ensured that no further play was possible.

While this is the first meeting between the two sides in Tests, they have already met in other formats of the game.

A closely contested cricketing rivalry

Their first international encounter was in the 2007 Men’s Cricket World Cup. Though Zimbabwe had the early advantage in a modest chase of 222, they lost their way and the game ended in a tie. Crucial points from this encounter, along with a historic win against Pakistan helped Ireland enter the Super Eight stage of their debut World Cup.

Since then, the two sides have met each other on 21 more occasions in ODIs. Ireland have a slim advantage, with 10 wins as compared to eight losses, with three no results and a tie. On 13 occasions, the games have been won by a margin of less than five wickets or 50 runs, showing how close these matches have been.

A similar story plays out in the T20I arena, where the sides first met in the 2014 T20 World Cup. In 15 games, Ireland has won eight, while Zimbabwe has won seven encounters. Nine of these games have been won by a margin of less than five wickets or 50 runs.

Pictures courtesy: Zimbabwe Cricket, Cricket Ireland