The openers step on the gas as the West Indies move to 374/2 at lunch.

After a few perfect but steady runs, the West Indies openers stepped on the gas on the third morning in Bulawayo. They set the team up for over 153 runs in the session. Kraigg Brathwaite ended up with a strong 182, but Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who was batting on 161*, stole the show with his discipline as the West Indies made their highest-ever opening stand (336) in Test cricket.

Chanderpaul chose his lines well, and it wasn’t until the second half of the session that he hit his first boundary off the middle. Right after he hit 150, Brandon Mavuta’s ball to fine leg was dropped by Chibhabha. This gave him a chance to stay in the game. Chanderpaul started the session on a steady note, and as the session went on, he became more sure of himself and determined. Brathwaite, on the other hand, came in ready to play and hit Ngarava for three boundaries in a row in the third over of the day. He also went after Mavuta and got his 150 runs in the first over of the spinner.

Like Chanderpaul, Brathwaite was given a second chance once, when he was on 167 and Mavuta missed a good chance to catch him. But Zimbabwe finally got him when Brathwaite’s attempt to sweep Wellington Masakadza’s arm ball backfired and hit him right in front. Kyle Mayers got 20 runs off of 24 balls. He hit two sixes and a boundary, but Mavuta bowled him with a fast ball that went between his bat and pad.

West Indies scored 374 and 2 (Brathwaite 182 and Chanderpaul 161*; Masakadza 53 and Mavuta 99) against Zimbabwe.