After the disappointment of Ireland Women’s opening game at the Emerging Nations tournament in UAE, it was more of the same on the first day of Ireland Wolves' second unofficial Test match against Zimbabwe A at the Harare Sports Club.

 

Five of the seven batters got into the 30s but not one could reach 60 and it was left to Gavin Hoey, again showing his all-round ability at No 8, who showed them how to do it. He finished the day 62 not out, having already added an undefeated 58 with captain Matthew Humphreys in the Wolves close of play total of 343 for seven.

 

Hoey brought up his 50 from 64 balls and celebrated by taking another 12 off the penultimate over as the pair took full advantage of the second new ball, going at more than eight runs an over. Hoey has hit six fours and a six.

 

 

Stephen Doheny, for the second match in a row, was dismissed without scoring in the first innings, bowled by Shelton Mazvitorera, the only Zimbabwe seamer to retain his place from the last week’s game.

 

But Jake Egan and Cade Carmichael, who scored a century in the second innings of the first ‘Test’ batted through the rest of the opening session, adding another 96 runs. Unfortunately, the break did for Carmichael, trapped in front by Mazvitorera in the second over for 59.

 

Egan took 97 balls over his half century, hitting five fours, but he also failed to go on, adding just seven from the next 22 deliveries before he was caught at mid-wicket.

 

Chris de Freitas was caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 33 in the last over before tea, and Tim Tector, off the leading edge at mid-on for 40, while in between Jordan Neill was bamboozled by the left arm spin of Victor Chirwa. That left the Wolves on 221 for six.

 

Ben Calitz and Hoey then put on 64 for the seventh wicket before Calitz was another dismissal for Chirwa, leg before this time, for 41, in a restrained 71-ball innings with only three fours.

 

It was a slow, hot day with only 88 overs bowled in the six and half hours with Mazvitorera the most successful with four wickets for 60 in his 15 overs.

 

The Wolves swapped their entire bowling attack from the first ‘Test’ which they won by 212 runs, with Matt Hollard, Reuben Wilson and Neill replacing Mark Adair, Liam McCarthy and Byron McDonagh. The spin duo of Humphreys and Hoey was, like the batting line up, unchanged.

 

They bowlers will get their chance to impress head coach Gary Wilson on Friday.