Definitely maybe an oasis

Zimbabwe's 183-run victory in the first Test against Bangladesh was like an oasis in a dry and thirsty land to a team that had not won a Test match since ... well, since the last time they played Bangladesh. Perhaps the margin of victory flattered Zimbabwe somewhat, as they struggled to impose themselves on the match and owed everything to a purple spell of batting and bowling on the fourth afternoon.

Normal service resumed today, when Zimbabwe took almost half the day to wrap up Bangladesh's last five wickets, eventually winning 50 minutes after lunch. It was as if they had turned up expecting the final day to be a formality and that the remaining batsmen would roll over tamely. But this Bangladesh team has spirit, and did well to recover to 169 after the depths of 14 for 5.

Zimbabwe played without flair for most of the match, but their eruption into brilliance on the fourth afternoon showed that they do possess far more than they usually show on the field. Lack of self-belief and fear of failure continue to saturate Zimbabwe's cricket, and they are rarely able to rise above it. They were well aware that Bangladesh are a much stronger team now than at their last meeting, and a fear of providing them with their first Test victory was no doubt at the root of Zimbabwe's laborious batting.

They were none too fearsome in their bowling, either, apart from that final session on the Sunday, when Andy Blignaut took his hat-trick and Douglas Hondo provided fine support. The ground fielding was generally good, but the catching was very fallible, and much attention is needed here. Zimbabwe used to claim, with pride, to be the best fielding side in the world, ever since the 1983 World Cup; but that is no longer the case. The old pride and ruthless search for perfection in the field is missing.

Players, managers and critics may talk about a lack of consistency, but the root cause is in that little space between the ears. If Zimbabwe ever learn to match their talent with Australian-style determination and self-belief, they will be able to compete with the senior Test teams on level terms.