Zimbabwe 267 and 38 for 3 (Bennett 15*, Humphreys 1-4, McCarthy 1-14) need another 254 runs to beat Ireland 260 and 298 (Balbirnie 66 Tucker 58, Ngarava 4-55, Gwandu 2-28, Madhevere 2-48)

Richard Ngarava, who took three of the last four wickets to fall, finished with a four-four; but it was the part-time spin of Wessly Madhevere that removed Balbirnie and Andy McBrine – Ireland’s top scorers of the second and first innings respectively.

Balbinie started the day with Campher and the duo grew their partnership from 37 to 75 with relative ease. There were nicks – like in the first over of the day – that weren’t carrying, the funky fields from Jonathan Campbell weren’t forcing batters into shots, and Blessing Muzarababi’s five-over opening spell was seen off without loss.

Campher picked up two boundaries off Trevor Gwandu – a stylish whip and a technically sound straight drive – before the bowler found his length to quieten the batter and then nick him off after drinks.

Ireland were 121 for 2 – a great entry point for Harry Tector, who got off a pair and got into his innings cautiously. Balbirnie, meanwhile, coasted along at his own pace to bring up a 106-ball fifty. He nearly dragged one on in the 34th over and weathered an examination by spin to take the lead up to 142 at lunch.

The spin of Campbell and Madhevere took hold after the break; first with the former ripping a legbreak to beat Tector’s full-faced block and trap him lbw, then the latter ripping an offbreak to beat Balbirnie’s flick to do the same.

Paul Stirling, who was more generous in peppering attack with defence, swept Madhevere over square leg for six and heaved Campbell wide of mid-on for four. He was out caught down leg, trying to pull Muzarabani fine, but was unhappy with the decision.

Tucker was off to a quick start too. He swept Campbell for two fours in the 59th over and consolidated after Stirling fell. He stitched handy 39-run and 23-run stands with McBrine and Mark Adair as Zimbabwe kept at it with spin before the second new ball became available.

McBrine was troubled by Madhevere, who beat his outside edge first (71st over) then snagged it for Nick Welch at slip to complete the catch (75th). Adair slogged a six off Madhevere and was comfortable against the old ball but edged two of the five he faced against the new ball, the second of which went to Takudzwanashe Kaitano’s hands at slip. It left Ireland 261 for 7 at tea.

Ngarava toyed with Barry McCarthy before knocking him over with a well-executed slower ball. Gwandu got a shortish ball to skid past Craig Young’s defences but that inconsistent bounce might be something that comes back to haunt Zimbabwe soon. Tucker and Matthew Humphreys, the last pair to bat, did run and walk along the danger area of the pitch a couple of times, but they were not pulled up by the umpires.

Tucker brought up fifty by pulling Ngarava and then flayed him over extra cover. But when he charged and tried to slap him over the off side two overs later, the top edge took the ball straight to cover. Ireland, who had conceded a seven-run lead, were all out for 298.

Zimbabwe came out to bat with an hour left in the day and McCarthy induced an edge from Ben Curran in the sixth over to have the opener caught behind for the second time in the game. A length ball that went away was set up by a few coming in to find the edge.

Adair ended Kaitano’s promising start, which included three boundaries, with another set-up. This time with outswingers before slowing up a fullish ball to beat the inside edge and hit the stumps.

Humphreys trapped Welch, Zimbabwe’s top scorer in the first innings, lbw with an arm ball that beat his flick. It brought Gwandu for nightwatch duty and he survived 12 balls to stumps. Brian Bennett, in at No. 4, had a close shave in the final over.

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Ireland 260 and 83 for 1 (Balbirnie 32*, Moor 30, Ngarava 1-25) lead Zimbabwe 267 (Welch 90, Muzarabani 47, McCarthy 4-75, McBrine 3-59) by 76 runs

Peter Moor, who used to play for Zimbabwe, dispatched Muzarabani, who didn’t bowl consistent lines, as Ireland raced to 42 for 0 in seven overs. Richard Ngarava got one to angle away to ensure Moor’s good work ended on 33, but his partner, Andy Balbirnie, joined Curtis Campher to ensure Ireland went to stumps without further damage.

The signs were ominous for the bowlers on Friday as there was more brown than green on the Bulawayo pitch. And it took Welch just one over to reinforce that feeling as he smashed a full ball from Mark Adair over mid-off.

McCarthy adapted to the challenge in front of him and toyed with his lengths, lines and release points to reap useful reward. He found seam movement to trap Takudzwanashe Kaitano lbw in the third over of the day. Zimbabwe’s batters used the crease to meddle with the bowlers’ lines. That didn’t matter to McCarthy who nipped one past Brian Bennett’s inside edge and hit the stumps.

Welch, too, had a close call early on as he was cut in half by McCarthy. He marched through, otherwise, to a 78-ball fifty, much to the delight of his dad in the stands.

Wessly Madhevere, who got off to a quick start, hit one of the three sixes in the innings. It came off McBrine’s bowling but the offspinner had the last laugh, with some help from Lorcan Tucker who took a rebound catch – off square leg – to restrict him to 26. Zimbabwe were 143 for 4. Each of the partnerships for the first four wickets crossed 20. None of them, batting the opening stand, got past fifty.

McBrine struck again to have Johnathan Campbell three balls later. It was a soft dismissal as the Zimbabwe captain, also on Test debut, punched a wide-ish ball to cover point.

Nyasha Mayavo, the other debutant, hit a confident pull shot for six and a slashy drive for four on either side of tea. But an attempt at another big hit – a sweep off McBrine – trapped him lbw. McCarthy sent back Newman Nyamhuri for a golden duck as Zimbabwe slipped to 172 for 7.

All the while, Welch was happy to play unhurriedly and that continued in the eighth-wicket stand with Ngarava. Welch faced 41 of the 59 balls as the duo put on 20. Chances were created when Ngarava looked for some quick runs. He got away with a chipped drive off an Adair slower ball in the 59th over, but holed out to mid-off, trying to do the same, in the 61st.

Welch pumped Humphreys down the ground to get to 90 and retained strike for the next over. He got decent connection on the pull against Adair but was dismissed by a spectacular running catch by Harry Tector across the outfield at deep midwicket. Zimbabwe were 200 for 9, 60 runs behind, with Nos. 10 and 11 at the crease.

Muzarabani hit two boundaries off McCarthy as the duo batted calmly against the old ball… for nearly 20 overs. The spin of McBrine and Humphreys gave away 23 runs between overs 67 and 80, but the batters were now more comfortable.

Ireland took the new ball and Muzarabani hit Adair for two fours, one on either side of the wicket, in the 83rd over as Zimbabwe finished the second session just three runs in the deficit.

Muzarabani took his team into the lead by pulling Craig Young in the 86th over, but with a maiden Test fifty in sight, he was knocked over trying to slog Humphreys across the line, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 267.

Zimbabwe’s strike bowler batting for long may have been a blessing in disguise, pardon the pun, for Ireland as he batted for 97 minutes late in the afternoon before taking the new ball.

Moor’s intent was clear from the very first ball, which he spanked through cover for four. He had a close call with a length ball, which kept low and was at the stumps but managed to stab it into the ground.

The absence of swing led Zimbabwe to shorter lengths but that suited Moor and Balbirnie, who unfurled some excellent back-foot shots. The placid nature of the pitch was on show even after Moor’s dismissal as an outside edge induced by Ngarava, off Balbirnie in the 12th over, landed well in front of second slip.

Gwandu, who was taken down earlier in the Test match, was more threatening here. In the 15th over, he had Balbirnie edge one in the cordon but the wicketkeeper Mayavo couldn’t collect. Other than that, Ireland cruised through to stumps with a healthy 76-run lead.

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