Zimbabwe's Harare habit

Stats highlights from Zimbabwe's historic 130-run win in their comeback Test in Harare

08-Aug-2011

Mohammad Ashraful failed yet again, West Indies v Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Grenada, 2nd day, July 18, 2009

The result ends a barren period for Zimbabwe in Tests that had lasted 11 Tests and almost seven-and-a-half years: the last time they won a Test was in August 2004, at the same ground against the same opponents. Since that victory, they'd lost nine out of 11 Tests.

It's also their fifth win in nine Tests against Bangladesh. They've lost to Bangladesh only once, in Chittagong in 2005.

The win came at their most favoured Test venue, the Harare Sports Club. It's their sixth victory at that ground in 27 Tests. In all Zimbabwe have won nine out of 84 Tests, which means they've won three out of 57 Tests at all the other venues they've played in. In Bulawayo, their other regular home venue, they've won one out of 17 Tests.

For Bangladesh, though, the defeat continued a depressing trend - they've now lost eight Tests in a row. Exclude the two wins against a depleted West Indies, and their streak of defeats goes up to 12. In the 69 Tests they've played so far, they've lost 60, and drawn just six. Zimbabwe, after playing 69, had won seven and drawn 23. The last time Bangladesh drew a Test was against New Zealand in October 2008.

There were several stars for Zimbabwe, but the brightest was their captain Brendan Taylor: he led aggressively, and scored 71 and 105 not out. His match aggregate of 176 is the third-highest for a Zimbabwe captain in Tests.

It was also the eighth century by a Zimbabwean in Tests against Bangladesh. Only against Pakistan have there been more centuries for Zimbabwe: nine in four Tests.

The other centurion for Zimbabwe was Hamilton Masakadza, who scored 104, his first century since his 119 on debut more than ten years ago. This marks only the eighth instance of two or more centurions for Zimbabwe in a single Test, and the first such instance since November 2001.

Bangladesh's batsmen, on the other hand, failed to convert their starts: nine of them went past 20, but none scored more than Mohammad Ashraful's 73. Ashraful's match total of 112 is only the second time in his last 18 Tests that he has scored more than 100 runs in a Test.

Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori both took five wickets in their debut Tests, which makes them the seventh and eighth Zimbabwean bowlers to achieve this feat. Their only bowler to take more than five on debut was Andy Blignaut, who claimed 8 for 110 in his first Test, against Bangladesh in 2001.

Mohammad Ashraful Brendan Taylor Hamilton Masakadza Zimbabwe Bangladesh Zimbabwe vs Bangladesh Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo