Bulawayo - Captain Graeme Cremer won the toss and elected to bat first but Zimbabwe were forced to go into the second Test against the West Indies on Sunday without two key players.
Fast bowler Kyle Jarvis missed out because of an ankle injury, while allrounder Sean Williams was too ill to take the field.
As a result, Peter Moor came in as a replacement middle-order batsman while left-arm spinner Tendai Chisoro made his Test debut.
The changes left Zimbabwe with just two seamers in their line-up, which made Cremer's victory at the toss all the more important as the hosts look to bounce back from a 117-run defeat in the first Test.
Although Queens Sports Club was overcast and unseasonably cold on Sunday morning, the pitch had significant bare patches on which Zimbabwe's spinners will hope to have success later in the match.
Meanwhile the West Indies named an unchanged side from the first Test.
Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Peter Moor, Sikandar Raza, Malcol Waller, Regis Chakabva (wk), Graeme Cremer (capt), Tendai Chisoro, Chris Mpofu.
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Shane Dowrich (wk), Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel.