Matthew Humphreys spun Ireland to a third successive Test match victory in Bulawayo, claiming two of the last three wickets to fall as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 228 and beaten by 63 runs.
The 22-year-old left-armer had an lbw appeal upheld before ending the home side’s faint hopes when he bowled top scorer Wessly Madhevere for 84, leaving Andy McBrine to complete the job by castling Richard Ngarava.
Humphreys’ stunning figures of 6-57 from 28 overs are the best by an Ireland bowler in Tests, taking the mantle from McBrine’s 6-118 against Bangladesh in 2023.
“That was a very rewarding win,” skipper Andy Balbirnie said. “Humphreys was superb, and McBrine does it every time he wears the Irish jersey.”
Zimbabwe were not at full strength — missing Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza — but that should not detract from a fine all-round effort from the Boys in Green who recovered from 31-5 on the first morning.
Man-of-the-match McBrine led the fightback with a gritty 90 not out, ably supported by Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy cut a swathe through the home side’s first innings with four wickets, and half-centuries from Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker set a tough target of 292.
The undoubted star of the fourth innings was Humphreys who has emerged stronger from a nightmare debut against Sri Lanka in Galle two years ago, and showed what a threat he can be on a pitch offering some assistance.
The youngster is at the batmen all the time, with a nice change of pace and an arm ball that hurries on and was responsible for removing key man Nick Walsh when Zimbabwe began their chase.
It’s a shame that after the culling of the originally scheduled second Test in Bulawayo, Ireland will not now don the whites again for sure until the end of the year in Bangladesh, and as things stand there will be no home five-dayer this summer.
“We are desperate to play Tests but we don’t know when our next one is,” Balbirnie said.
“Our boys are brought up on white-ball cricket but they prepared well, and I’m very happy with how they’re adapting.”
The Boys in Green will be back in action on Friday when they take on Zimbabwe in Harare in the first of a three-match one-day international series.