Toss Ireland choose to bowl vs Zimbabwe
Ireland won the toss and decided to bowl first on return to Test cricket at home after a gap of six years. Zimbabwe’s batters will be tested on a wet Belfast morning with a passing shower turning up about an hour before the toss. There is rain forecast on all five days, more so on the first three.
Ireland made only one change from their last Test, against Afghanistan in February-March. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys came in for Theo van Woerkom, who is not part of the squad. Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young were the three fast bowlers with Curtis Campher in as the batting allrounder.
Zimbabwe handed debuts to Joylord Gumbie, Brian Bennett and Clive Madande. Opener Prince Masvaure made a comeback to Test cricket after two years as did fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. Dion Myers, who was Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer in the recently concluded T20I series against India, found a place at the top. Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, who missed that series, were also back.
This is the first men’s Test in Northern Ireland.
Ireland: 1 Peter Moor, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 3 Curtis Campher, 4 Harry Tector, 5 Paul Stirling, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Andy McBrine, 8 Mark Adair, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Craig Young, 11 Matthew Humphreys
Zimbabwe: 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Joylord Gumbie (wk), 3 Dion Myers, 4 Craig Ervine (capt), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Brian Bennett, 7 Clive Madande, 8 Blessing Muzarabani, 9 Richard Ngarava, 10 Tanaka Chivanga, 11 Tendai Chatara
