Regis Chakabva struck five boundaries during his unbeaten knock of 71
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Regis Chakabva was Zimbabwe’s hero of the final day of the second Test in Bulawayo as he scored an unbeaten 71 to help his side end the match as a draw.
The result was a good one for Zimbabwe as it denied the West Indies, who were six wickets away from victory at the start of the day, a 2-0 series win.
Starting off the day on 140/4, Sikandar Raza and Peter Moor only added four runs to their 94-run partnership before Moor was caught by Shai Hope off the bowling of Shannon Gabriel for 42.
Malcolm Waller only made 15 runs before falling to Devendra Bishoo, while Raza went on to score 89 off 203 balls, which included six boundaries and a six, before he was clean bowled by West Indies captain Jason Holder.
With the West Indies needing just three wickets to whitewash Zimbabwe, Chakabva and skipper Graeme Cremer held out for 48.4 overs and amassed an unbeaten 91-run stand to not only rescue their side, but ensure the match ended as a draw.
Chakabva finished on 71 off 192 balls, which included five boundaries, while Cremer remained undefeated on 28 off 150 deliveries.
Gabriel, Bishoo and Kemar Roach picked up two wickets apiece, while Holder claimed one.
Cremer was relieved to have kept the West Indies at bay, and said: “Feels good to draw after 12 years because we came from behind. Felt good that our team batted when their backs were against the wall. A couple of missed opportunities though, we dropped a few catches and the wicket wasn’t doing as much as we expected. Dropped catches always have an outcome to the Test, and this match could’ve been much different if we held on to them.
“Our poor use of reviews in this Test is something we will have a look at. Raza was exceptional, especially with the ball. It’s not his job to take a five-for, but he did. And he didn’t give away many runs. And then with the bat, just shows how good an all-rounder he is. And as for Chakabva, he was short on runs and it was good to see him get a good score. In our team we don’t just have 1-2 people putting their hands up, but more like five or six.”
Holder was pleased to have won the series 1-0, but disappointed not to complete the whitewash, and said: “Feels good (to win first series as Test captain), we played well over past few months, but didn’t cross the line over the series. Credit goes to all the players in the dressing room. Slightly disappointed not being able to bowl them out in the second innings. They batted well too, and few decisions didn’t go our way, but that’s how it goes.
“We got lucky in our innings as well, to be honest that’s how the game works out. But credit to Zimbabwe, they played good cricket and pushed us. I want them to do better, so world cricket becomes more competitive. It wasn’t an easy series at all. Credit to Cremer, their spinners got wickets as well. Reviewing is difficult you know, on TV it looks pretty straight but when ball-tracking comes up you see something totally different. Fifteen seconds to make the decision feels like five seconds and it’s up to the keeper and the bowler to make the decision.
“I’m really pleased with our team’s direction. We’re off to train in Australia next before the NZ series. The conditions there will be quite like England, so it’s important to get acclimatised there and give it our best shot.”
Raza was named Man of the Match, and said: “I think we’ve put a huge emphasis on our fitness (on his heavy workload in the Test), and for it to show in the middle is very rewarding. And to be rewarded like this is certainly humbling. I wasn’t aware of the records, but having my name next to Jacques Kallis is quite humbling and proud.
“We’ve got a Test coming up in December, but if I had to be honest I had an awful first Test. My teammates and I expected me to do better, and we had some goals to achieve in this Test, and we did so. We played out of our skin to get a result out of it. Gives us the confidence. About the poor reviews, (jokingly) I’m never reviewing anymore!”