ZIM vs WI: Kraigg Brathwaite, Tagenarine Chanderpaul stand tall after rain-affected opening day

The opening day of the first Test between hosts Zimbabwe and West Indies came to a disappointing end after rain played spoilsport at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. But the day did witness a considerable amount of action as 51 overs were bowled without any success for the bowlers before the rain arrived.

The West Indies, who are ushering into a new era under the guidance of batting legend Brian Lara, decided to bat first after winning the toss in the Test series opener. The Carribean side got off to a solid start after the opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul saw off the new ball without much trouble.

Even though the hosts were unable to dislodge the openers, their pacers ensured that the visitors were never afforded easy runs, keeping the scoring rate in check at all times. There were a couple of nervy moments for the visitors, but the unavailability of the DRS came to the rescue of the Windies.

Rain played hide and seek on the opening day of the first Test

Kraigg Brathwaite, the senior opening partner and the Windies skipper, led from the front, bringing up a dogged half-century. Chadrepaul, who has made an impressive start to his Test career, also breached the fifty-run mark before the rain started to pour. After a lengthy delay, both batters were hoping to resume their innings before the rain arrived again to have the final say on the proceedings.

The Zimbabwe bowlers weren't too shabby but they failed to create enough wicket taking opportunities on the opening day. They are still relatively inexperienced in the longest format of the game and had as many as five debutants in their starting eleven.

Here is how Twitter reacted to a rain-affected opening day: