Watch cricket video highlights of Zimbabwe tour of Ireland 2024 Only Test day 4 between Ireland vs Zimbabwe. Venue of the match will be Belfast.
The one-off Ireland vs. Zimbabwe Test had most outcomes imaginable for the better portion of the morning session on the fourth day until Ireland killed off the match, albeit it never quite reached the peak the third evening had promised. Richard Ngarava’s blazing performance on the third evening had reduced Ireland to 21 for 5, sending the few Zimbabwean supporters in Belfast into a state of delirium. However, with a 96-run stand on the fourth morning, Andy McBrine’s third and Lorcan Tucker’s second Test fifty guaranteed that Ireland swiftly subdued them and won the match.
This not only enabled Ireland to win their first Test at home but also gave them back-to-back wins in the format, after their Test debut victory against Afghanistan in March. On day four, play got underway with the sun shining and ideal batting conditions. The brightness had increased compared to earlier days, and Tucker and McBrine took advantage of the lack of the zip that the pitch had provided Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani the night before. For the majority of the opening hour, Zimbabwe kept both batters in an attacking field and had three catchers manning the slip cordon.
However, that created gaps in the outfield, and whether the line was wide or the length was too full, Ireland’s left-right combo didn’t think twice about attacking. The first time it happened was in the fourth ball of the morning when Tucker drove for four to deep point after reaching out to a full ball that was a little wide outside off. There was a boundary in almost every over during the day’s opening 13 overs, which yielded 61 runs. McBrine was very good on the pull, hitting two boundaries. He hammered deep-backward square-leg to the right off Ngarava in the first boundary.
And when Ireland chipped away at the goal, the second came off Muzarabani in front of the square. In an attempt to recreate their magic from the third evening, Zimbabwe bowled Ngarava and Muzarabani for the opening eight overs. However, Tucker had already raised the fifty stand by removing Ngarava’s pads by that point. Unlike the previous evening, when the extra bounce and movement had left their top-order hitters hunting for answers, it was a chanceless stand between the Ireland bats on Sunday. In the 18th over of the innings, there was a moment of incredulity.
Despite the lack of an overthrow, Tucker and McBrine scored five runs. On the second ball of the over, McBrine hammered Ngarava to beat Tendai Chatara to his right at extra cover. Chatara pursued it until it reached the longer side of the field, at which point she managed to push the ball back. But his speed had carried him well past the advertising boards, where he had overrun. The hitters had ran five without really extending themselves by the time he came back to toss the ball back. Ngarava eventually reproduced the danger of the third evening three balls later.
Tucker was hit by the ball, which bounced off his gloves and went up a length, but it missed the gully fielder by a narrow margin. In the twentieth over, Sean Williams was called into the assault, but Tucker and McBrine continued to score runs with little assistance from his left-arm spin. In the 24th over, Tucker reached his half-century mark when he struck Muzarabani for three through the covers, reducing Ireland’s required run-rate to under 50. Two overs later, Muzarabani did manage to dismiss Tucker for 56, despite McBrine being badly hit on a drive attempt, a flash, and a low ball that struck his front pad outside leg.
Although they had anticipated that Tucker’s removal would allow them to mount a late charge, Zimbabwe was out of luck. Along with Mark Adair, who finished undefeated at 55, McBrine also reached his half-century, helping to finish the job with four boundaries and 24 not out. It was the ideal way to cap off an incredible Test for McBrine. In the two Zimbabwe innings, he took 3 for 37 and 4 for 38 wickets. Prior to his undefeated half-century in the second innings, he made 28 contributions in Ireland’s first innings. For all of these achievements, he was rightfully named Player of the Match.
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