Craig Ervine recalls his historic Test triumph over Bangladesh at Sylhet: “It was more nerves of wanting to get over the line.”

Under the inspirational leadership of Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium this season, seizing the lead in the two-match Test series and making history by winning the first Test match in the previous four years.

Two teams that have been finding it difficult to make an impression in this format played an exciting contest. Over the course of four days, the bowlers dominated the majority of the match. The Zimbabwean team ultimately prevailed after pursuing a target of 174.

Craig Ervine, the captain of the Chevrons, also talked about the game and candidly stated that the dressing room was anxious as they watched how the match was unfolding. He also talked about the significance of the early wickets in the second innings and the performance of Blessing Muzarabani, who ultimately won player of the match.

“There will be anxiety in the changing room. Positions like this, chasing in the fourth innings, are unfamiliar to us. More than anything else, it was the nerves of wanting to cross the finish line and win. Getting early wickets was our goal. It was excellent for us to get Shanto out so early in the first over. Bless (Blessing Muzarabani) got off to an amazing start, in my opinion. He provided us with the chance to apply pressure. Cricbuzz cited Ervine as saying, “Jaker Ali played a really good role at the bottom end.”

The game would heavily rely on felt seamers: Craig Ervine

Craig Ervine also talked candidly about the conditions throughout the game and how they evolved over time. The left-handed batter discussed how the seam attack ultimately helped them gain control of the game and stated that he anticipated the surface would aid the seamers.

We anticipated that there would be some grass. That was evident during last year’s match against Sri Lanka. There is a chance to prepare turning wickets based on Sylhet history. In the short days we practiced here, we noticed some grass. We had little idea how it would play out. We believed that seamen would be heavily involved,” Craig Ervine stated.

In this Test match, Blessing was our strike bowler. I was giving him little spurts of energy. Vicky [Victor Nyauchi] and Richie [Richard Ngarava] played crucial roles in supporting the attack, in my opinion. Additionally, Welly [Wessly Madhavere] bowled well. It was crucial to avoid letting too many runs slip in between such bursts. I believe Blessing would be up there since he caused a lot of trouble when he returned and bowled in most of his spells. He has experience playing in many leagues and with Red Ball. He’s got the attitude. He has demonstrated his skills. The Zimbabwe skipper said, “I am very interested to see where he goes in his career in all formats.”