Windies labour to narrow lead after Motie spins out hosts

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (CMC):

Careless batting and their opponents doggedness eroded the authority of West Indies after a destructive spell from left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie enabled them to dismiss Zimbabwe cheaply in the first Test on Sunday.

Nothing epitomised the carelessness of the Windies batting more than the run out of Raymon Reifer for the top score so far of 53 before the visitors reached 133 for four when bad light stopped play six overs early on the first day at the Queen’s Sports Club, for a first innings lead of 18.

Motie improved upon his career-best from the previous Test with 7-37 from 15.4 overs on a slow, but turning pitch, and Jason Holder supported with 2-18 from seven overs, and West Indies demolished the Zimbabweans for 115 in their first innings about 40 minutes before tea to gain early control.

“I really enjoyed bowling on this pitch because it is similar conditions to where I live, so it is spin-friendly, and I just had to put the ball in the right areas to reap success,” Motie told reporters after play.

“(This performance) means a lot to me because I worked really hard coming through the ranks, so I am really happy with it.”

But the Windies needlessly surrendered a cluster of wickets, including Reifer’s, before stumps were drawn to keep the home team interested in the match, after their own batting failures earlier in the day following their decision to bat first.

Reifer, batting at three again, clipped pacer Victor Nyauchi through mid-wicket for a deuce to complete his half-century from 76 balls and was gathering runs freely, but a mix-up with vice captain Jermaine Blackwood left him stranded mid-pitch.

The left-hander skipped down the pitch to drive leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta to mid-off and was confident about taking a single, but Blackwood was rooted at the non-striker’s end, and the fielder, Test newcomer Tanaka Chivanga, was quick to pick up the ball and throw to the wicketkeeper.

“I am pretty happy to get another 50, but I would have liked to carry on, and get an even bigger score,” Reifer said. “I was very disappointed with my dismissal, but such is life. I am really disappointed I am not coming back (on Monday) and looking to get a 100.”

Exactly two overs later, an unsettled Blackwood was caught at mid-wicket for 22, pulling a long-hop from Mavuta, who was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with 2-24 from 10 overs and created some elements of doubt in the minds of the Caribbean side’s batsmen, as they look to bat their opponents out of the match today.

Reifer came to the crease after West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite fell to left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza for the third time in the series, trapped leg before wicket for seven playing back to an arm ball keeping low in the penultimate over before tea.

Reifer and fellow left-hander Tagenarine Chanderpaul carried the Caribbean side 21 for one at tea, and emerged after the break to bat with composure and fluency, and put on 73 with few alarms for the second wicket.

The pair neutralised the threat of Masakadza with Chanderpaul drlling him past mid-off for his third four, and Reifer lofting him over mid-on for his second four and slog-sweeping him over mid-wicket for six.

Chanderpaul batted with much more freedom than he did during his double hundred in the previous Test, but Mavuta outfoxed him and got him caught at fine leg for 36 from a top-edged sweep about an hour before the scheduled close, bringing Blackwood to the crease.

Earlier, Motie became the leading bowler in the series with 13 wickets after he surpassed the career-best four he took in the Zimbabwe second innings in the first Test last week at the same venue that almost ushered West Indies to victory.

He extracted helpful turn from the surface, and except for opener Innocent Kaia with 38, Donald Tiripano 23 not out, and their captain Craig Ervine 22, the Zimbabweans, playing without first Test batting saviour Gary Ballance because of illness, were powerless to stop him.

The two-Test series is level 0-0, after the first Test that ended last Wednesday at the same venue was drawn.