Andy McBrine and Lorcan Tucker Lead Ireland to 4 Wickets Victory Over Zimbabwe in Belfast
Andy McBrine and Lorcan Tucker’s outstanding efforts changed the tide and helped Ireland win a historic encounter although Zimbabwe had the upper hand in the Test match between Ireland and Zimbabwe at first.
The one-off Ireland vs. Zimbabwe Test had most outcomes possible for the better portion of the morning session on the fourth day until Ireland killed off the match, albeit it never quite reached the climax the third evening had promised.
Ireland 250 (Moor 79, Chivanga 3-39, Muzarabani 3-53) and 158 for 6 (Tucker 56, McBrine 55*, Ngarava 4-53, Muzarabani 2-52) beat Zimbabwe 210 (Masvaure 74, McBrine 3-37, McCarthy 3-42) and 197 (Myers 57, McBrine 4-38) by four wickets.
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 quickly 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 over 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 that 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 especially good on the pull, when he got two boundaries as Ireland chipped away at the target: the first off Ngarava to beat deep-backward square-leg to the right, then the second off Muzarabani in front of square.
In an attempt to recreate their magic from the third evening, Zimbabwe bowled Ngarava and Muzarabani for the first 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 batters 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 far beyond the advertising boards, where he had overrun. The batters had run five without really stretching themselves by the time he came back to throw the ball back.
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Ngarava eventually reproduced the threat 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.
