MATTHEW Humphreys (6-57) starred as Ireland registered a comfortable 63-run win in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. The fifth day began with the visitors needing just three wickets for the win and the left-arm spinner accounted for two of those, including the big scalp of Wessley Madhevere (84) who fought a lone battle for the home side in the run chase.

Newman Nyamhuri was the first wicket to fall on the final day, as he missed a sweep to be struck plumb in front of the wicket against Humphreys. Madhevere continued to battle hard but with partners running out, the pressure was too much for him.
Not many foresaw the visitors to seal a win after tottering at 31/5 on the morning session of the first day. Ireland’s decision to bat first backfired initially with Blessing Muzarabani (7-58) running riot, using the new ball and favourable conditions to good effect. However, as the pitch eased out, Ireland’s lower middle order capitalised, led by McBrine (90) who stitched two crucial stands to turn things around.

The second partnership was what hurt Zimbabwe the most, not just due to the volume of runs but also the rate at which they were scored. Both McBrine and Adair took the attack to the bowling to bail their side out of crisis. Inevitably, it was Muzarabani who broke the stand and also wrapped up two more wickets to end with a seven-fer.

Nick Welch (90) battled to produce a solid innings but none of the other specialist batters hung in there to give him the required support.
It meant that the first innings ended fairly even with Zimbabwe’s lead just a slender figure of seven. The pitch had also flattened out considerably in comparison to the first couple of days. Ireland, however, couldn’t fully feast on the conditions as their batters wasted their starts, much like Zimbabwe’s first innings. Skipper Andy Balbirnie (66) and Lorcan Tucker (58) made fifties but both could have made much bigger scores. Ngarava (4-55) was the most successful of the bowlers in the second essay for Zimbabwe although it was their spinners who initiated the fightback.

At one stage, Ireland was sitting pretty at 153/2 but eventually folded for 298 when they were eyeing a score in excess of 350 and beyond initially. However, the target of 292 still was going to be a tough ask batting last, as the pitch started to show signs of wear and tear on the fourth day.
There were rain interruptions too, which meant that a draw could also have been a possibility. Ireland, though, stuck to their guns, led by Humphreys and plucked out seven before stumps on day four. It meant that the visitors only needed a small window of play to happen to complete the formalities. As it turned out, the day started with bright sunshine and the Irish bowlers did the rest.