It took Ireland Wolves only 54 overs to take the last eight Zimbabwe A wickets on the final day of their four-day game at the Harare Sports club and complete a convincing 212 runs victory.

Even a 75 minutes delay for rain and bad light could not save the home side and when play resumed, Ireland needed only five overs to wrap up the game with spinners Matthew Humphreys and Gavin Hoey each finishing with three wickets.

With Trevor Gwandu, unable to bat – he didn’t bowl in the Ireland second innings – the teams shook hands after captain Humphreys bowled the defiant Dion Myers, the Zimbabwe Test player falling three short of a fifth first-class century, after resisting for 183 balls.

The hosts started the day on 61 for one, needing a notional 409 for victory but Mark Adair took a wicket with his first ball of the day and even then it looked only a matter of when, not if, that the Wolves would begin their tour with a victory.

Humphreys struck for the first time in his third over, taking the edge of first innings century-maker Takudzwanashe Kaitano’s bat and Adair snaffled the catch low at slip.

Hoey got among the wickets in his final over before the lunch break, winning an lbw decision against captain Roy Kia, second top scorer with 36, and he followed up in his second over after the interval with the wicket of Jonathan Campbell, also trapped in front.

When the spinners took a break, Byron McDonough needed only two balls before he bowled Clive Madande to put the Wolves within three wickets of victory.

Their only worry was how long the rain, which arrived 15 minutes before the scheduled tea interval, would last but after three days of hot, sunny, weather it was never likely to last too long.

Sure enough, at 4pm they were back out and the spin twins took three wickets in 14 balls, without the help of a fielder, to end the match.

The teams begin another four-day game on Thursday, before they move to white-ball action and five 50-over games.