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Graeme Cremer plays the reverse-sweep. — Pic: AFP

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe 326 (Masakadza 147, Raza 80, Moor 52, Roach 3/44) and 301-7 (Raza 89, Chakabva 71*, Gabriel 2/34, Roach 2/37) West Indies 448 (Holder 110, Dowrich 103, Powell 90, Raza 5/99, Chisoro 3/113)

ZIMBABWE fought hard to draw the second cricket Test against West Indies at Queens Sports Club yesterday, with the visitors winning the two-match series.

Regis Chakabva struck an unbeaten 71 runs and shared an unbroken 91-run stand with skipper Graeme Cremer for the eighth-wicket in 48.4 overs to script Zimbabwe’s great escape on the last day.

The home team made 371 for seven in 144 overs, a lead of 179 runs, but the players shook hands with an hour to play, as it became clear that there would be no winner.

It was the first time since January 2005 that Zimbabwe drew a Test when they failed to produce a result in the second match against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Man of the match Sikandar Raza top scored for the home team with 89 runs; his second half ton of the match. He became only the second man in Test cricket to score more than 80 runs in both innings and take five wickets after South African Jacques Kallis in Cape Town in January 1999 against West Indies.

West Indies leg spinner Devendra Bishoo took the man of the series award for picking up 13 wickets in the two Tests.

Cremer was disappointed with losing the Test series, but glad they managed to draw the second match after falling behind at some stage.

“It’s a bit disappointing obviously to lose a Test series, but we were behind a lot during this Test match, so credit to the guys for fighting. We were quite happy with the draw in the end and we didn’t feel like we had enough runs on the board to be able to declare and it’s probably not a wicket where you can bowl a team out in 30 overs,” said Cremer.

“There was thought of declaration, but we know it’s quite hard to probably take 10 wickets in 50 overs, let alone 30, so after Raza got out we almost had to shut shop, just take overs out of the game to make sure we didn’t lose the Test match,” he said.

Zimbabwe resumed from their overnight score of 140 for four, with Raza and Peter Moor at the crease. Moor went in the second over of the day, removed by pace bowler Shannon Gabriel after being taken at gully by Shai Hope.

Raza survived a leg before wicket shout from Kemar Roach which the West Indies reviewed and lost.

Malcolm Waller was dismissed for 15, becoming leg spinner Bishoo’s second wicket, going out to a soft dismissal after edging to Jermaine Blackwood at first slip.

Raza was given out to Roach on 72, but the Zimbabwean batsman went for a review, which was successful, as television replays showed that the ball was missing leg stump.

Raza was denied his second Test hundred when he was bowled by Holder in the third over after lunch. Cremer gloved a ferocious delivery from Holder to be caught behind by Shane Dowrich, but he was fortunate to be given not out. West Indies had no reviews left by then, so they could not seek an overturn of umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s decision.

Cremer also survived two lbw shouts with Dharmasena again not giving him out, but in that didn’t count for much, as there was no winner. — @Mdawini_29