An attacking half-century by West Indies captain Darren Sammy inspired his team to seven for 265 in reply to Zimbabwe’s first innings total of 211 on the second day of the first Test in Barbados on Wednesday.
The West Indies lead by 54 runs with three wickets in hand.
Sammy dominated a 106-run seventh-wicket partnership with Dinesh Ramdin, the wicketkeeper batsman contributing an unbeaten 44 on his 28th birthday.
Sammy came to the crease shortly after lunch when Shivnarine Chanderpaul became Kyle Jarvis’s fourth wicket of the innings to reduce the home side to six for 151.
The West Indies captain launched into the tourists’ bowlers, blazing his way to 73 off 69 balls with eight fours and four sixes before being bowled off the inside-edge by part-time bowler Hamilton Masakadza just before the break.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor persisted with Graeme Cremer, despite the leg-spinner being the recipient of a severe hammering from Sammy, and opted to give experienced and economical left-arm spinner Ray Price just a handful of overs in the midst of the mid-afternoon assault.
Yet it was Masakadza who achieved the breakthrough, just as he had done before lunch when he removed the dangerous Marlon Samuels for 51.