Zimbabwe, last but not the least!
There is a lot of ambiguity in the way the smaller teams prepare for their game. Not many speak about their team’s strengths and weaknesses as many won’t even know who are in the playing XI. Zimbabwe was in falling into same category UNTIL Saturday.
The final day of the first and only Test against New Zealand marked a renaissance of fortunes for a side that has been sidelined due to political catharsis for years, but the last few months have seen a turnaround in the script. First it was a series win against Bangladesh that brought a lot of interest in this team and on Sunday, they narrowly missed out on chasing down an impossible total of 347 on the final day of the Test that would have etched their name in the record books.
It was result that would have shattered the morale of Zimbabwe who went for the kill in a scenario where most of the so-called ‘big sides’ would have gone into a play-safe mode. Brendan Taylor hit a mesmerizing 117 to give his side more than a ray of hope. The hosts went to tea needed 101 off the last 29 overs before collapsing dramatically. From being placed comfortably at 265 for 3, the Zimbabweans finished at 331, just 34 short of what would have been a fitting reply to all the nay-sayers.
In all this, the visitors —- New Zealand kept their hopes by getting wickets at regular intervals, a trick that eventually saw them return to the pavilion as victors. For the Black Caps, debutant Doug Bracewell took 5 for 85.
Zimbabwe certainly would be cursing for having missed out on being part of history, but they more or less justified the fact that they are given the status of playing the highest level of the game, and rightfully so!
cool story bro