BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE: West Indies Opener Kraig Brathwaite And Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored half centuries before rain ended play at the start of the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Saturday.
Play will start at 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT) over the next four days to make up for lost time, although further weather disruptions are raising concerns.
The Tourists were 112-0 from 51 overs in Bulawayo as they sought to extend an unbeaten Test record against the hosts having won seven of the previous 10 and drawn three.
“The pitch looked good for batting, but we knew the rain would be a factor,” captain Brathwaite said of his decision to hit after winning the toss.
“Today is history, today is over, we have to come back tomorrow and start laying the foundations again.
“Obviously Zimbabwe are going to come back strong so it’s important that we start well tomorrow.”
Chanderpaul said: “You have to be patient up front. The guys were playing well so you have to dig in and score when you can.”
Brathwaite was the first to reach 50, courtesy of three points from a past mid-term drive, and also scored two fours in an unbeaten 55 when the rain intervened.
Chanderpaul was also not 55 at Queens Sports Club after scoring a second half-century in just a third Test appearance. His shot included eight fours.
The first test of two in south-west Zimbabwe marked the debut of West Indies legend Brian Lara as a national teams performance mentor.
Lara, who scored 11,953 points in 131 Tests, assists caretaker coach Andre Coley as the West Indies look to get back to winning ways after a 2-0 defeat in Australia two months ago.
Spinners Wellington Masakadza (0-13) and Brandon Mavuta (0-18) were Zimbabwe’s best bowlers.
Craig Ervine captained Zimbabwe while Sean Williams is injured while all-round star Sikandar Raza has been sidelined with franchise commitments in the United Arab Emirates.
Play will start at 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT) over the next four days to make up for lost time, although further weather disruptions are raising concerns.
The Tourists were 112-0 from 51 overs in Bulawayo as they sought to extend an unbeaten Test record against the hosts having won seven of the previous 10 and drawn three.
“The pitch looked good for batting, but we knew the rain would be a factor,” captain Brathwaite said of his decision to hit after winning the toss.
“Today is history, today is over, we have to come back tomorrow and start laying the foundations again.
“Obviously Zimbabwe are going to come back strong so it’s important that we start well tomorrow.”
Chanderpaul said: “You have to be patient up front. The guys were playing well so you have to dig in and score when you can.”
Brathwaite was the first to reach 50, courtesy of three points from a past mid-term drive, and also scored two fours in an unbeaten 55 when the rain intervened.
Chanderpaul was also not 55 at Queens Sports Club after scoring a second half-century in just a third Test appearance. His shot included eight fours.
The first test of two in south-west Zimbabwe marked the debut of West Indies legend Brian Lara as a national teams performance mentor.
Lara, who scored 11,953 points in 131 Tests, assists caretaker coach Andre Coley as the West Indies look to get back to winning ways after a 2-0 defeat in Australia two months ago.
Spinners Wellington Masakadza (0-13) and Brandon Mavuta (0-18) were Zimbabwe’s best bowlers.
Craig Ervine captained Zimbabwe while Sean Williams is injured while all-round star Sikandar Raza has been sidelined with franchise commitments in the United Arab Emirates.
