It was only the seventh time that Ireland had taken 10 wickets in an innings, and Zimbabwe’s total of 210 is the third lowest.
Andy McBrine and Barry McCarthy, the workhorse of this bowling attack, each took three wickets.
Meanwhile, Mark Adair, proving his fitness after five weeks without cricket, bowled more than anyone and added two wickets to his leading Ireland tally.
The heavy rain just as the Ireland innings was about to start abandoned play for the day and will allow Andrew Balbirnie and PJ Moor to open the innings at the start of day two, exactly 24 hours after most people expected them to when the captain won the toss.
Andy McBrine sends down a delivery during the first day of Ireland’s Test clash with Zimbabwe
Overhead conditions obviously dictated Balbirnie’s call because Stormont in multi-day cricket is invariably a bat first pitch, and the Zimbabwe openers proved that in the first session.
The wonderfully named Joylord Gumbie and Prince Masvaure, with a combination of solid batting and excellent concentration, scored 85 in the 27 overs before lunch, helped by some inconsistent Ireland bowling.
Although Balbirnie kept attacking fields throughout the day – there was usually a minimum of three slips for the pace bowlers – he stuck to the Test match tradition that spinners are not introduced until the last over before lunch.
He ignored McBrine completely in the second session, although he was probably vindicated by the 23 overs which produced only 53 runs and the first three wickets of the match.
McCarthy took the first two, his second arguably the ball of the day to beat the defence of Dion Myers, and the luckless Craig Young – he deserved more than his solitary wicket – made it three just before tea.
Andrew Balbirnie in action during Ireland’s first game of their Test clash with Zimbabwe at Stormont
Curtis Campher, who bowled only four overs in the Test win against Afghanistan in February, was given 11 overs and ended the resistance of Masvaure, for his highest Test score of 75, with the help of a fine legside take by Lorcan Tucker.
McBrine came into his own in the final session, taking three wickets in 11 balls to spark a stunning collapse as Zimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 43 runs.
It left Matthew Humphreys still waiting for a bowl in his second Test match, and hopefully, his batting will not be needed as Ireland look to build a decisive first innings advantage.
Before the start of play, the Roy Torrens Bell was rung by his widow, Joan, accompanied by family and friends as well as the present and past Ireland captains William Porterfield and Gary Wilson.
The Bell, in honour of the former player, Cricket Ireland President and Team Manager and rightly described as “one of the giants of Irish cricket”, will be rung on every day of every home international.
Today, the Bell will be rung by Kevin O’Brien, the first Ireland batter to score a Test century, which hopefully will be a foretaste of what is to come on day two.
SCOREBOARD
ZIMBABWE 1ST INNINGS
J Gumbie c Campher b McCarthy 49
P Masvaure c Tucker b Campher 74
D Myers b McCarthy 10
C Ervine c McBrine b Young 5
S Williams c Stirling b McBrine 35
B Bennett c Tucker b Adair 8
C Madande c Young b McBrine 0
B Muarabani c Stirling b McBrine 4
R Ngarava c Humphreys b Adair 5
Chivanga not out 7
T Chatara c Tucker b McCarthy 0
Extras (4b 5lb 4w) 13
Total (71.3 overs) 210
Fall: 1-97 2-121 3-143 4-167 5-193 6-193 7-194 8-198 9-206
Bowling: M Adair 18-1-49-2, B McCarthy 15.3-5-42-3, C Young 14-1-40-1, C Campher 11-2-33-1, A McBrine 13-2-37-3
Close Day 1. Resumes Friday at 11.00am.