Zimbabwe fought against odds to dismantle Bangladesh for 169 all out and record their first test win in five years by 151 runs.
It is only their third overseas Test win and first since November 2001, when the world of cricket was considerably different.
“I am ecstatic. They went out and did great. Especially in the first innings they batted out of their skin and gave us a good lead. The batsmen applied themselves brilliantly. They stayed on the wicket and grafted their innings. We left a lot of runs on the field, we thought we let them back in the game, but we managed to come across.
“The bowlers were brilliant. They stuck to their areas. That takes a lot of skill. It’s not often that you see our spinners get more out of a wicket than Bangladeshi spinners,” said skipper Hamilton Masakadza soon after the match.
“We batted very poorly. We didn’t stick it out. The wicket was good, we just didn’t apply ourselves. We were not disciplined enough.
“We played too many strokes far too early, including me. We need to learn from our mistakes. The bowlers did very well. That and our fielding was good. The batting was the biggest issue,” the Tigers’ captain Mahmudullah told reporters after the match.
Sean Williams who was named Player of the Match for two crucial knocks on a tough surface was elated.
“Didn’t expect to get this award, got to enjoy this one in the change rooms. It took me a long time to get in on this wickets. Unfortunately I didn’t get the 12 I needed for my hundred, but it was good to spend time and score crucial runs. Unfortunately, Mavuta didn’t get five, but on a spin-friendly wicket, Jarvis and Chatara bowled really well in the first innings.”
When Zimbabwe last won an away Test, they still had in their ranks the likes of Andy Flower, Grant Flower, and Heath Streak. An entire generation has nearly gone through without savoring an away win, amid growing administrative hassles and political issues.
Teams have made them feel unwanted at times, teams haven’t toured Zimbabwe because of security concerns at times, a number of their own players have felt let down by the board, but now is not the time to harp back on the past.
