Gayle century dominates opening day

More new ground was broken in Zimbabwe cricket as the small Midlands city of Kwekwe hosted a full international touring team in a first-class match for the first time. West Indies enjoyed a good day of batting practice, finishing with a total of 374; Zimbabwe A finished on 26 without loss. The star, for the second game in a row, was West Indian opener Chris Gayle, who added 162 to his unbeaten 257 against the President's XI.

The Zimbabwe A side included Alistair Campbell, desperate to find his batting form. Zimbabwe A won the toss and, as has become usual on winter mornings when the conditions often give inordinate help to the bowlers, put the West Indians in to bat.

The bowlers found little or no movement off the hard, flat pitch, but did find the ball swinging early on. Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle dug a firm foundation before the latter began to unleash some powerful offside drives. After the first hour the boundaries began to flow across the fast outfield and the home bowlers appeared doomed to being on the receiving end of a serious pasting.

The openers sailed past their century partnership; after the opening half-hour or so, none of the bowlers succeeded in troubling them and only Bryan Strang appeared capable of restricting them, as Travis Friend, Raymond Price and Mluleki Nkala all proved expensive. Gayle at one stage looked on course for a century before lunch, when the score was 154 without loss (Ganga 60, Gayle 92).

He reached three figures shortly afterwards, and set his stall to run up another double-century. Crouching in slightly ungainly fashion at the crease, he nevertheless drove elegantly, especially straight and on the off side, flicked with superb timing off his toes and adding the occasional glide past the slips.

Just as the pair looked on course to eclipse the first-wicket record for Zimbabwean cricket, 280 by Ray Gripper, when he scored his 279 not out, and Jono Clarke against Free State in 1967/68, Ganga skied the hard-working Raymond Price to extra cover and was caught for 79 (Gayle had 160), with the total 242. Then, without addition, new man Shivnarine Chanderpaul was given out caught at slip.

Gayle now lost his fluency and, four overs later, was dismissed lbw for 164, trying to swing Price across the line. Price struck again in his next over, as Sarwan (0) chopped a ball on to his stumps, and four wickets had gone down for 21 runs, most of those scored by Carl Hooper.

A brief stand followed between Hooper (36) and Marlon Samuels, which was broken soon after tea when Barney Rogers had Hooper caught at slip with his off-breaks; 305 for five. But then Ridley Jacobs joined Samuels and the pair added 60 together before Jacobs was out to a brilliant diving catch by Stuart Matsikenyeri at mid off, giving Bryan Strang a well deserved wicket with the second new ball. Immediately afterwards Samuels (50) was caught at the wicket off the same bowler.

With only their tail left, West Indies might well have declared, but instead their lower order pottered around at the crease to little effect. The West Indians were all out for 374, the last five wickets having fallen for just nine runs. Price was applauded off the field by his home crowd for his figures of five for 121.

Alistair Campbell, in poor form recently, had clearly decided to take the positive way back, driving two fours in the opening over from Marlon Black. Hamilton Masakadza also played some good drives, and Zimbabwe A finished with 26 without loss (Rennie 10, Masakadza 16).