On this day: Zimbabwe register first away Test win in 17 years
Zimbabwe have been living up to the reputation of being the underdogs in the cricket world for years. They have failed to put up a respectable show on various occasions, and it is the reason they have achieved little success in their bag over the years. On the other hand, whenever they have performed, it has not come into much limelight.
How it happened
On this day in 2018, Zimbabwe won their first away Test match ending their drought of 17 long years, and it came against another underdog team – Bangladesh. It was the first match of the series where Zimbabwe came up with flying colours at Sylhet. Batting first, they ended up posting 282 runs with Sean William’s 88 and Peter Moor’s 63 defining their batting show.
From the bowling unit of Bangladesh, Taijul Islam came all guns blazing to disrupt Zimbabwe’s batting order as he claimed a six-wicket haul. When the hosts showed up with their bats in the first innings, they were bundled out for just 142, courtesy some excellent bowling by the Zimbabwe side. Ariful Haque’s innings of 41 runs was the only bright spot in their batting line-up.
All-round performance
Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza named three wickets each under their belt to get the team going. When the second innings came up, Zimbabwe scored 181 this time to set a target in excess of 300 on a crumbling pitch. The visitors were able to turn the tables as they stopped the run-flow of the hosts at 169. This time, it was the spin department that took the responsibility to take the team over the line.
Raza, along with Brandon Mavuta, jointly bagged seven wickets under their belt. Mavuta, who was marking his Test debut, unlocked his four-wicket haul and the team saw the face of victory in a foreign land in Test cricket after a long wait. Sean Williams was named as the Player of the Match. It was Zimbabwe’s third overseas Test win and the first one after November 2001. Coincidentally, their 2001 Test win also came against the Bangladesh team when they shone under the captaincy of Stuart Carlisle.
