Bulawayo: Sikandar Raza fell for 89 but Zimbabwe’s lower order held off the West Indies’ attempts to win the second Test on the final day at Queens Sports Club on Thursday.
After Raza fell short of a deserved century for the second time in the match, Regis Chakabva and Graeme Cremer batted out 190 deliveries for a 49-run partnership that took Zimbabwe to tea on 259 for seven, leading by 137.
With Zimbabwe declining the opportunity to declare during the interval, the game headed into the final session with neither side making a compelling case for why they should win the game and the players eventually shook hands with the spoils shared.
“It feels good to draw because we came from behind. It felt good that our team batted when their backs were against the wall,” said Cremer, the Zimbabwe captain.
“We did have a couple of missed opportunities though, we dropped a few catches and the wicket wasn’t doing as much as we expected. Dropped catches always have an outcome to the Test, and this match could’ve been much different if we held on to them.”
Raza added: “I think we’ve put a huge emphasis on our fitness and for it to show in the middle is very rewarding. The hosts began the fifth day on 140 for four and added just four runs before Peter Moor was caught at gully for 42 off the bowling of Shannon Gabriel.
Malcolm Waller then completed a disappointing series with the bat when he scored just 15 before edging a delivery from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to slip.
But Raza was unmoved, using a review to overturn an incorrect lbw call after he had been given out on 72, before becoming the second player after South Africa’s Jacques Kallis to score 80 or more runs in both innings of a Test and take a five-wicket haul.
“I wasn’t aware of the records, but having my name next to Jacques Kallis is quite humbling and proud,” said Raza.
His marathon innings looked set to yield a second Test century until a vicious inswinger from Holder knocked back his off stump.
At that point Zimbabwe were 210 for seven, leading by just 88, leaving the West Indies with an excellent chance of wrapping up the innings and completing a 2-0 series victory.
But Chakabva dug in for an unbeaten 71, while captain Cremer finished on 28 not out.
