Ireland lead Zimbabwe by 76 runs with nine second-innings wickets left as the one-off Test in Bulawayo remains in the balance after day two.
After starting the day on 72-1 in response to Ireland’s battling 260, the hosts collapsed to 200-9, despite Nick Welch’s 90, as Barry McCarthy produced his Test best bowling figures of 4-75.
However, day-one bowling hero Blessing Muzarabani (47) put on 58 runs for the last wicket with Trevor Gwandu to give Zimbabwe a seven-run first-innings lead.
Ireland made an encouraging start to their second innings as Peter Moor (30) was their sole loss in the remaining 21 overs of play, with skipper Andrew Balbirnie’s unbeaten 32 helping them reach 83-1.
Earlier, McCarthy’s precision and aggression troubled the hosts with Andy McBrine continuing his impressive match after his 90 in Ireland’s first innings as he produced tidy bowling figures of 3-59.
The hosts resumed with Welch and Takudzwanashe Kaitano looking to build on their promising overnight start, but the latter was quickly trapped lbw by McCarthy.
McBrine’s first two wickets in the 42nd over left Zimbabwe on 147-5 but, while Welch continued to build his patient innings, he soon began to run out of partners before his dismissal came as Harry Tector took a brilliant catch at deep square leg off a Mark Adair delivery.
At that stage, Ireland looked set to have a healthy first-inning lead in the relatively low-scoring contest but Muzarabani, who produced his best Test bowling figures of 7-58 on day one, responded with his 47 off 68 balls which helped his side eke out a seven-run advantage.
Moor’s aggressive hitting, as he punished some wayward Muzarabani deliveries, helped Ireland move quickly to 46-0 before the opener edged a Richard Ngarava ball to wicketkeeper Nyasha Mayavo.
Curtis Campher remained unbeaten on 14 at the close along Balbirnie as their 76-run advantage gave the tourists perhaps a slender advantage going into day three.
The Bulawayo contest is Ireland’s first Test match since they defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in Belfast last July.
