The Zimbabwe national cricket team are aiming to tame the Tigers of Bangladesh by winning the second and final Test match, to complete what would be a memorable series victory, in a match begins tomorrow in Chittagong.
Despite daunting odds heading into the first encounter, head coach Justin Sammons remained resolute, declaring his mission to win the series—a bold assertion for a team that rarely wins series, let alone Test matches.
After Blessing Muzarabani's inspired performance propelled the Chevrons to a three wicket win three-wicket win on Wednesday in Sylhet, that dream now stands halfway to reality.
"Our expectations for the tour are the same as we have for every series that we have played and that is for us to go and win the series," Sammons said.
"We just understand that it's not going to be easy, that we're going to have to obviously be willing to put in the hard yards, but we've got our plans that we're obviously hoping to execute."
Sammons expressed confidence in his seam arsenal, particularly Muzarabani, who stood tall with a match-winning performance. The towering seamer claimed nine wickets for 122 runs, including six for 72 in the second innings—his third consecutive Test five-for. This feat equaled former skipper Heath Streak's record as the fastest Zimbabwean to 50 wickets.
Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine tipped Muzarabani for greatness across formats.
"I think he'd be up there. He has the experience through red ball and playing various leagues," Ervine said.
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"He has shown his ability. I am really excited to see where he goes in his career in all formats."
Ervine praised Muzarabani's impact in the first Test.
"I thought the way Bless started was outstanding. He gave us the opportunity to put the squeeze on," he said.
"Blessing was our strike bowler in this Test match. I was giving him short bursts. I thought Richie (Richard Ngarava) and Vicky (Victor Nyauchi) had important roles holding the attack. Wessly Madhevere bowled well too in between those spells, it was important not to leak too many runs. When Blessing came back and bowled in the majority of his spells, he caused a lot of problems."
Youthful opener Brian Bennett, led the batting charge with back-to-back half-centuries, and seasoned campaigner Sean Williams who also scored a 50 in the first innings.
With Muzarabani's form and the team's momentum, Zimbabwe looks poised to fly past the wounded Tigers.
