Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
22 Tests in a row…
22 Tests in a row finished with a decisive result (win for one team, loss for the other), and Zimbabwe’s draw with West Indies in Bulawayo ended this run.
To be honest, it was a fantastic way to see the run of results end.
How good was it to see grit and determination? In this day and age of T20 cricket, you don’t see it very often. Yes they had luck, but Zimbabwe showed the fight, courage and desire that teams like India, South Africa, England and Australia would have been really proud of. Struggling at 46/4 in their 2nd innings, and still trailing by 76, Zimbabwe put together one of the finest reguard actions you’ll see.
It would have been easy for Zimbabwe to make the excuse of: “oh, we’re 1-0 down in the series, so we’ll just play big shots, and try get quick runs. We’ll hope for the best”. Survival in this game is far more important for Zimbabwe’s development than taking the easy way out making excuses. For Zimbabwe to truly progress in world cricket, they need to get into good habits first.
Despite the fact they’ve lost the series, I believe Zimbabwe have learnt so much. An example was Sikandar Raza – he threw his wicket away badly in the first Test, and learnt from his mistakes and had an incredible second Test. Zimbabwe’s effort was superb to see.
For West Indies, they would feel disappointed to not win the game from the position they were in. They huffed and puffed, threw everything at their opponents and left feeling a little underwhelmed. However, a 1-0 win in a series that looked very tricky on paper is a decent result.
Can West Indies compete in New Zealand in a month’s time? Recent performances in England and Zimbabwe say yes. However, time will tell.
Stats & Facts
In this game, there were great performances from both teams. The best of the lot was Sikandar Raza’s effort – a truly world class all-round performance.
Twin 80s and a five-for
Sikandar Raza had a match that any all-rounder in history would have been proud of. He became the second player in Test history, after Jacques Kallis, to score successive 80s and take a five-for.
Even better was that in each innings, Sikandar came in with Zimbabwe under pressure. This was especially the case in the second innings. Walking in at 46/4 and staring down the barrel of an innings defeat, Sikandar Raza faced 203 balls for his gutsy 89, and helped Zimbabwe save the game.
In total, he faced 350 balls across two innings, and bowled 48 overs for his 5/99. What a performance.
Record-breaking partnership for the 8th wicket
The 212 run partnership between Shane Dowrich and Jason Holder is the highest ever for the 8th wicket for West Indies. In addition, it is the 9th highest in Test history. A fine effort.
For Shane Dowrich, it was his first ever hundred. West Indies were 230/7, still trailing Zimbabwe by 94 in the first innings, and ended up with 448. This is the first time in 109 years that two batsmen have scored Test centuries from no. 8 and lower.
1st Test series win
This was West Indies’ first ever Test series win under captain Jason Holder.
48.4 overs
The length of time Regis Chakabva batted to help save the game.
Regis Chakabva soaked up 192 balls for his 71. Graeme Cremer, despite having luck, also showed great fight, playing out 150 balls for his 28.
Milestone for Devendra Bishoo
Devendra Bishoo sent down 69 overs in the Test, and along the way picked up his 100 Test wicket.
16-year wait
In 2001, Hamilton Mazakadza scored a hundred on debut against the West Indies. 16 years later, he scored his second hundred against the men from the Caribbean, and his first in Tests since 2014.
A competitive series comes to an end, and I feel both teams will be better for the experience. West Indies go to New Zealand next, and Zimbabwe to South Africa. They’ll both be hoping for competitive performances.
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