Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe 2014: Zimbabwe slowly but surely on the rise again

Zimbabwe nearly pulled off an astonishing victory against Bangladesh defending only 101. Since their re-admission to Test cricket in 2011, they have the odd unforgettable moment, the win against Pakistan stands as an example. The side has many improvements to make, but they certainly cannot be taken lightly writes Indrajit Dutta.

Zimbabwe had Bangladesh on the ropes at zero for three in their defence of a 101-run target in the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Monday. Bangladesh in the end huffed and puffed to a win by three wickets.

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A paltry score of 100 is always going very hard to defend but Brendan Taylor‘s men fought tooth and nail to ensure that Bangladesh were not going to have it easy.  This was not the first time that Taylor’s side made a higher-ranked side sweat. His side lacks experience but have a great deal of spirit.  The team that took the field against Bangladesh have only a 103 Tests to their name. Hamilton Maskadza, who made a century on debut against West Indies in 2001, is the most experienced having played 27 Tests.

Taylor’s side has no prominent players like Zimbabwe did in the nineties but can punch above their weight. A stupendous Test victory against Pakistan in 2013, very nearly chasing down more than 350 against New Zealand in the fourth innings in the same year and a famous victory in the One-Day Internationals (ODI) is proof that with more games under their belt they can raise their game more than a notch.

In the late nineties, the Zimbabwean side had quite a few fine players in their side. They had the dynamic all-rounder Neil Johnson, the solid Murray Goodwin, the rock-like Andy Flower, and of course the never-say die Heath Streak. In 1998, they pulled off a fantastic Test series win in Pakistan.

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Over the years political and internal strife saw them lose their best players. They were forced to field under-strength teams and eventually fell apart. Tatenda Taibu was forced to captain a side that was almost an under 19 team. In 2005 they were stripped off Test status. It was only in 2011 that they gained re-entry into the longest format of the game.

Since then, their performance, taking into account that they lack heavily in experience, has been fair. In 11 Tests they have been victorious in three of these games. Two of the wins have come against Bangladesh and they have been convincing ones.  It was, however, their victory against Pakistan in the second match of a two Test series at the Harare Sports Club in 2013 that showed they were not here to simply make up the numbers.

In the first Test, they had been walloped by 221 runs. Going into the second one Pakistan were expected to win the Test and handsomely but Zimbabwe turned the tables by winning by 24 runs. Pakistan have always been a highly-rated side and here though inexperienced they had players such as Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and the wily Saeed Ajmal. The home side, on the other hand, with the exception of skipper Brendan Taylor, had no other player of repute and that’s what makes this win very special.

The manner in which they thwarted Pakistan in a chase of 263 was something to marvel at. It was medium pacer Tendai Chatara, whose brilliant five for 61 in the second innings was instrumental in victory coming Zimbabwe’s way.  The batting too, led by Hamilton Maskadza and skipper Brendan Taylor, showed that they were not about to roll over and let Pakistan dominate. Masakadza made 75 while Taylor chipped in with 51 in the first innings. Handling Saeed Ajmal for such an inexperienced side would have been doubly hard.

Another memorable Test was the one against New Zealand in 2011 at Harare. Chasing 366 on the last day on a wicket which has wear and tear is hard for even the best of sides, Zimbabwe , though, came close to pulling off an incredible win, they fell short by 34 runs. Taylor with a superb 117 led from the front ably supported by a dogged 63 of 163 balls from former skipper Tatenda Taibu. The Kiwis somehow held steadfast and denied the Zimbabweans a famous win.

Even in the recently played one-off Test against the Proteas earlier this year, the Zimbabweans had their moments. One such moment was when debutant and off-spinner John Nyumbu picked up a five- wicket haul. Taylor, in a rich vein of form now, contributed with 90. Later on in the triangular ODI series, they shocked Australia and almost did the same to South Africa. The win against the Aussies was only their second ever against the side and their first since 1983. Ironically, the time they beat them in 83 present India coach Duncan Fletcher was the skipper.

At present, inconsistency greatly with both bat and ball ails them and one reason is due to a lack of experience. Good performances have come their way in snatches, such as Chatara’s fiver in the famous Pakistan win and Panyangara’s five for 21 in the close loss against Bangladesh.  Consistency is something they should aspire to. Only skipper Taylor has been consistent since Zimbabwe’s return.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and other boards should ensure that they feature regularly in Tests.  11 Tests in three years is not a good return. Furthermore, they contested these Tests sporadically. They should start touring more. In 2012 they went travelled to New Zealand to play a Test at Napier. In 2013 it was the Caribbean for them as Bridgetown and Rousseau hosted for two Tests. They lost all these Tests. It was no doubt a steep learning curve but a necessary experience.

Competing regularly at the international level would mean more consistency coming in. Memorable performances such as Chatara’s fiver and Taylor’s 171 would be greater in number and this would ensure more victories. If this happens Zimbabwe will be a force to reckon with again.

Complete coverage of the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh 2014

(Indrajit Dutta is a reporter with CricketCountry. He is also a published poet and author. His Twitter handle is @duttaindro)