THE Stormont Test match sits in the balance after another gripping day which followed the first day’s script almost word for word.

Having bowled Zimbabwe out for 210 and taken the score to 71 for no wicket, Ireland had great hopes of building a large first innings lead and setting up their first home win in Tests. But cricket hates those who make plans and the hosts duly collapsed before recovering to total 250. The visitors had to face four awkward overs at the end of the day but negotiated them without a hitch.

Like all Test matches, there were several heroes and villains. Prime among the latter group was the Belfast weather which, like Thursday, veered through all four seasons in the day. Heavy rain took a large chunk out of the action but left enough for the game to progress towards a likely early conclusion.

Clive Matande is another who qualifies as villain, at least to Zimbabwean followers. The 24-year-old from Harare has had a singularly disastrous debut to date, getting out in ludicrous fashion off the first ball he faced; dropping Andrew Balbirnie early yesterday; and seeing 42 byes race past him, the highest total in test history.

Even umpire Sharfuddoula seemed to take pity on him, signalling two balls that batsmen missed on the way to the rope as runs off the bat.

That generous donation of 59 extras by the keeper and his attack comprised 24% of Ireland’s total of 250, another world record for innings over 200.

Balbirnie failed to cash in on the dropped catch however, and was 19 when he flicked a Tanaka Chivanga half volley to square leg.

The ball was moving prodigiously, with second-change Tanaka Chivanga generating more pace than his teammates. The right-armer from Goromonzi celebrated his 31st birthday on the eve of this match, only his second Test. He and captain Craig Ervine were the only survivors from the previous one, against West Indies in February, when Chivanga failed to take a wicket.

Growing in confidence, he pitched the ball up to Campher and the ball swung away and took his edge all the way to second slip. Seán Williams snatched at it but gathered before it hit the turf and Campher had to go.

Lunch was taken with Ireland 115-2 but extended by an hour because of a heavy shower. Chivanga settled back quickly, his second ball nailing Harry Tector playing down the wrong line. Two balls later he got a ball to lift which Paul Stirling steered into the hands of gully. Happily for the hometown hero, the TV umpire adjudged the bowler had overstepped by a whisker and he went on to make 22.

PJ Moor, meanwhile, had recorded the third-fastest of Ireland’s 20 test fifties, and was making progress towards his career best 83 and on to a century. But Zimbabwe dried up his scoring with frequent short balls before, on 79, he flicked at a Blessing Muzarabani bouncer and Madande took an excellent catch down the legside.

Moor came into the match needing a score but his bright dominating knock has closed that argument.

‘It’s always nice when you contribute and it was good to get a decent score,’ he said at close of play.

‘The thing about the Dukes ball is it doesn’t do much early on but once the shine comes off it starts to do a bit.’

A combination of aggressive seam bowling and poor shots accounted for six Irish batters for the addition of just 38 runs before Andy McBrine (28) and Matthew Humphreys (27no) put on 47 feisty runs for the 10th wicket.

The young spinner, whose bowling was not utilised in the first innings, hit the only six of the match to date in front of a handful of spectators after the majority were driven homewards by a heavy shower at 5pm.

Those who braved the elements were rewarded with that last wicket stand that extended the lead to 40 and a tense period as the Zimbabwe batsmen started to claw it back.

‘Any lead in a low scoring game is important,’ said Moor. ‘There’s still a lot of work to be done tomorrow. If we get into their batting early on it could be a big day for us.’