BLESSING Muzarabani has moved to third on Zimbabwe’s all-time Test wicket-taking list, a milestone reached as Zimbabwe completed an innings-and-85-run demolition of Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club to seal their first-ever back-to-back Test series triumph on Tuesday.
Muzarabani’s haul against Bangladesh has moved him further up Zimbabwe’s all-time Test wicket-taking charts.
The seamer now has 73 wickets from 19 matches and 29 innings, closing in on spinner Raymond Price’s second-placed tally of 80 wickets from 22 matches and 35 innings.
Former captain Heath Streak remains the country’s leading wicket-taker with 216 scalps from 65 Tests and 102 innings, a mark still some distance off, but Muzarabani’s strike rate suggests he could challenge Price’s second spot before long.
Captain Richard Ngarava did not linger on the numbers, but left no doubt about Muzarabani’s standing in the side.
“Blessing is a champion bowler and that’s all I have to say. He’s a champion bowler and we expect him to keep going,” Ngarava said when asked about the milestone.
The achievement caps what Ngarava described as an extended period of growth for the seamer.
“He’s had a remarkable period over the last couple of years,” the captain said, framing the landmark as the product of sustained hard work rather than a single standout spell.
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Ngarava placed Muzarabani’s rise within the broader habits he has tried to instil in the Zimbabwe camp.
“It is quite important to develop these habits, and of course we work together as a team, and we definitely get to pick who’s on their pick or who's having a good day on the park.
“That one guy is going to take the team forward, but everyone else gets to support him, and hopefully it continues for a long time.”
The captain also pointed to Muzarabani’s role in developing the squad’s younger bowlers, among them Newman Nyamhuri, who has been working alongside the senior pace pair.
“I quite like Newman in the sense that he’s quite open to learning new things. He’s quite young, and I feel like it’s a privilege to have me and Bless in there, guys who can just actually give you that share of experience. I’m really proud of him and how quickly he’s learning,” Ngarava said.
Muzarabani’s milestone arrived in the same match that delivered Zimbabwe’s historic series victory.
“As I walked into this Test match, there’s one thing I was thinking about, which is making history,” Ngarava said.
“Zimbabwe, from before, never won back-to-back Test series or any other series, so it’s quite special to be winning a back-to-back series.”
The captain was quick to stress that no individual milestone, however significant, outweighed the team’s collective effort.
“In every sport you play as a unit, and to be very honest, everyone contributed there, and I really feel like that’s what brought us to where we are.
“Not forgetting the hard work the boys have put in the past few months.”
With home conditions playing to Zimbabwe’s advantage throughout the series, Ngarava said the responsibility now fell on senior figures like Muzarabani to keep setting the tone.
“We’ve got an idea of what conditions we have.
“We’ve got an advantage of the home soil.
“Whichever team comes here, we know the conditions better.”
