ZIMBABWE will take courage from the way they batted out the last 23 overs of the second day of the First Test against Sri Lanka to be in an encouraging position in their first innings at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

Tino Mawoyo (41 not out) and Hamilton Masakadza (33 not out) settled and stabilised things as Zimbabwe closed the day on 88-1 in the first innings in reply to Sri Lanka’s mammoth 537.

Zimbabwe trail by 449 runs with nine wickets in hand in the first innings.

The only wicket to fall for Zimbabwe was that of Brian Chari who was out lbw to Rangana Herath for five in the sixth over.

From 21-1, Mawoyo and Masakadza stole the show with positive batting that sets up the ingredients from a potentially thrilling third day that Zimbabwe looks to build on from the tremendous beginning.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka resumed from their overnight score of 317-4 with Upul Tharanga and Dhananjaya de Silva at the crease.

Zimbabwe’s plan perhaps was to try and get early wickets but the opening day’s struggle stretched into day two as settled Tharanga stuck to his guns in his first Test in over a year.

Graeme Cremer, Zimbabwe’s pick bowler in first innings, earned his four wicket-haul getting de Silva (25) trying to clear the rope but found Sean Williams at long off.

Tharanga, who came into the Sri Lanka squad for this tour as replacement for injured captain Angelo Mathews, wasn’t leaving anything to chance and grabbed the opportunity to impress once again.

Tharanga and debutant Asela Gunaratne (54) added on 99 runs for the sixth wicket before the partnership was broken by Williams who had the latter caught by Cremer leaving Sri Lanka at 450-6 after 135 overs.

From this moment, Zimbabwe appeared to have generated some form of determination and momentum that spurred them to charge for wickets in the lower order and the tail.

Chris Mpofu would find Dilruwan Perera (23) out of his ground whereas Carl Mumba (1-101) got his first international wicket getting Rangana Herath out for seven.

At tea, Sri Lanka were 512-8 after 149 overs.

As wickets tumbled, Tharanga remained stubborn and got his second Test century that gobbled 208 balls.

While Kusal Perera’s 110 headlined day one, Tharanga also starred and got his century although he would be the last man standing on an unbeaten 110 that had 10 fours.

Mpofu (2-96) marked his return to Test cricket with two late wickets of Suranga Lakmal (seven) and Lahiru Kumara for a golden duck that would end Sri Lanka’s first innings.
 
Match state
First innings
Sri Lanka 537 all out in 155 overs (Upul Tharanga 110*, Kusal Perera 110, Kaushal Silva 94, Dimuth Karunaratne 56, Asel Gunaratne 54; Graeme Cremer 4-142, Chris Mpofu 2-96)
Zimbabwe 88-1 in 23 overs (Tino Mawoyo 41*, Hamilton Masakadza 33*; Rangana Herath 1-29)