INNOCENT Kaia’s maiden Test half-century helped Zimbabwe stay in the match after Brandon Mavuta’s five-for had put brakes on the West Indies scoring before declaring on 447-6 an hour after lunch on day three at Queens Sports Club on Monday.
West Indies’ score was built around the 336 first-wicket partnership between their Captain, Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul.
Wellington Masakadza finally ended Zimbabwe’s toil in the field without a wicket for 114.1 overs.
Brathwaite went forward to sweep, but the ball spun away, and he was struck in front. This left Australian umpire Paul Reiffel with no option but to give him out leg before wicket for a well-played 182.
Suddenly Zimbabwe started bowling with their tails up, and it became the Mavuta show as he began to find drift and turn on the Queens Sports Club wicket.
Kyle Mayers, who had been brought in to up the scoring rate as the men from the Caribbean tried to up the scoring rate, was bowled through the gates by a leg spinner that turned sharply to give Mavuta his first wicket.
Raymon Rifer did not last long as he tried to up the ante but failed to punish a long hop from Mavuta and clear Kaia at midwicket, who was caught for two runs.
Chanderpaul continued untroubled from the other end as wickets continued to tumble around him. He eventually got to his maiden double-century off 464 balls in his fifth innings in Test cricket.
Mavuta claimed three further scalps of Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, and Jason Holder to record his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
West Indies declared Chanderpaul unbeaten on 207 and Joshua Da Silva on three.
Zimbabwe debutants Tanunurwa Makoni and Kaia were very cautious as they saw out the visitors strike bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph.
The Chevrons faced 10 overs before tea and scored 21 runs without losing a wicket.
After the tea interval, Makoni started growing in confidence as he crisply drove Mayers to the boundary twice to move into double figures.
The Zimbabwean opening pair scored 50 runs from 22 overs, and just as Makoni was gaining confidence, he chased a wide delivery from Joseph and got a thick outside edge to be caught by Mayers at first slip for 33 runs.
But none could deny Kaia his maiden Test fifty on debut.
Zimbabwe then lost Chamu Chibhabha and Captain Craig Ervine in the final over before stumps.
The hosts ended day three on 114-3, Kaia unbeaten on 59 looking to push on and help his team move past the follow-on target.
