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Zimbabwe started the day in Belfast very well but as the day progressed, things got extremely difficult for the visitors. Joylord Gumbie and Prince Masvaure stitched an incredible 97-run partnership to start the day but the middle order batters failed to capitalize on that as Zimbabwe posted 210 runs in the first innings.
Joylord made 49 runs while Prince hit 74 runs and after they both walked back to the pavilion, Ireland pacers ran riot. The duo of Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy was extremely influential as Zimbabwe faced significant difficulty in facing them. The cloud cover didn’t help them as it was the ideal situation for the bowlers.
In the middle, Sean Williams tried to pull Zimbabwe back into the contest but he wasn’t very successful either. The 37-year-old veteran batter made 35 runs before falling victim to Andy McBrine. The off-spinner had a very good outing as he picked up three wickets. Meanwhile, all the last six Zimbabwe batters scored in single digits as they fell like a house of cards.
Ireland would be delighted with their bowling performance on Day 1 of the only Test. The Andrew Bilbirnie-led side will now expect the batters to step up and take a healthy lead in the match. They have some very good batters in the ranks, who can help the team achieve the goal but the only problem that lies ahead is their lack of experience in red-ball cricket.
If the conditions remain overcast on Day 2, it won’t be easy for the Ireland batters to tackle Zimbabwe quicks, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Tanaka Chivanga. The captain needs to lead by example as he has been instrumental for the team in the past. Other than that, Harry Tector, Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker will be vital. Meanwhile, Day 1 ended early due to bad light as the match lasted only 72 overs. Day 2 in Belfast may end late to recover the time lost.
Here’s how the fans reacted to Day 1 of Ireland vs Zimbabwe Test:
Test cricket at stormont.
What a sight! #irevzim pic.twitter.com/WZVfo06I8G
— justin smyth (@justinsmyth1) July 25, 2024
It’s been a great first day of the test at stormont.
Very much looking forward to tomorrow! #IREvZIM
— justin smyth (@justinsmyth1) July 25, 2024
An historic moment… first ball bowled at the first international test match in Northern Ireland @cricketireland @BBCMarkSimpson @BBCSPORTNI @henrymoeranBBC @bbctms #irevzim #BackingGreen pic.twitter.com/y1K0YcN6bV
— donnaspongebob 💙 (@donnaspongebob) July 25, 2024
Ireland have bowled Zimbabwe out of 2️⃣1️⃣0️⃣.
🇿🇼 Prince Masvaure – 74 (152)
🇿🇼 Joylord Gumbie – 49 (99)🇮🇪 Andy McBrine – 3/37
🇮🇪 Barry McCarthy – 3/42#IREvZIM | #TestMatch | #CricketIreland pic.twitter.com/RZP7sBCz7L— RECORD BOOK 📸 (@RECORDBOOKK) July 25, 2024
I can’t sleep thinking about these spacings #IREvZIM pic.twitter.com/94DzLQMir3
— Larry Leprechaun (@LarryLeprechau) July 25, 2024
A fourth Test Match 50 for the ever reliable Prince Masvaure🇿🇼 pic.twitter.com/DtvynNNowY
— Adam Theo🇿🇼🏏 (@AdamTheofilatos) July 25, 2024
Prince Masvaure goes at 74 in 152 balls ah sadly Great innings comes to an end. #zimvsire pic.twitter.com/LYmZRFOfpa
— Akaran.A (@Akaran_1) July 25, 2024
MILESTONE! Prince Masvaure reaches his fourth Test fifty. An excellent innings by the Zimbabwe opener against Ireland so far 🇿🇼🔥🔥#IREvZIM #tapmad #HojaoADFree pic.twitter.com/RkKzrWRusj
— babar (@Muhammad5597110) July 25, 2024
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