Zimbabwe 77-4 at lunch on day three of the second Test against the West Indies.
The West Indies look set for a second victory in the two match Test series against Zimbabwe in Dominica.
The hosts batted to 381-8 on day three before declaring 206 runs ahead of the tourists, as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin built on the good work from opener Chris Gayle.
Gayle made it to 101 before being caught off the bowling of Prosper Utseya whilst Chanderpaul scored 108 runs and then became Utseya’s second scalp.
These were the first wickets of the Zimbabwean spinner’s new Test career and it must have been sweet to dismiss both of the West Indies’ most dangerous batsmen.
However this was one of very few positives for the visitors as Ramdin’s 86 helped put a formidable total in front of Zimbabwe.
Things didn’t start too badly for the touring side as openers Hamilton Masadkadza and Vusimuzi Sibanda made it to 37 without losing a wicket.
Then Zimbabwe’s batting ghosts came back to haunt them as their top order fell apart once more when Masadkadza was out off the bowling of Tino Best. Captain Brendan Taylor joined Subinda at the crease but both batsmen were dismissed with the total stuck on 64.
West Indian spinner Shane Shillingford added Taylor’s wicket to his five-for from the first innings and he didn’t have to wait long for his next victim as Sean Williams was found wanting with the bat.
With Zimbabwe on 77-4 at lunch and still 129 runs behind the home side’s total, it’s not totally unthinkable that the Test could be over in three days again as it was in the first match of the series in Barbados.
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