ZIMBABWE’S historic series levelling 19-run victory over Pakistan was ushered by the bowlers and great fielding, something the Chevrons were well-known for in the past decades.
To think that this is the same bowling line up that failed to take wickets in the United Arab Emirates against Afghanistan, though obviously, the conditions are too different.
Luke Jongwe’s addition to the team has also added another dimension to the host’s attack.
All of a sudden the bowlers are bowling with guile and finesse, mixing up well directed short balls and subtle change of pace by seamers deceiving the batsmen.
While everyone is still scratching their heads trying to understand how Zimbabwe got out of jail, Douglas Hondo, Zimbabwe’s bowling coach was not surprised by the victory.
“It didn’t surprise me. Luke stays calm in pressure situations, just like all the other bowlers, so it didn’t surprise me at all. All we had to do was just have belief before we started bowling that we could defend the total so now it didn’t really surprise me,” Hondo said after the match.
“I reminded them that in the first game, we could have got Pakistan out for a similar total if we had taken catches, so it was possible in this match to restrict them to a very low total.”
Hondo the former Zimbabwe international has always had his doubters thinking otherwise.
He was applauded for a sterling job when Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan inside two days in a Test match last month.
In the second Test of that series in Abu Dhabi, Hondo’s bowlers struggled to take wickets and all of a sudden critics were calling for his ouster.
After two great bowling performances against a team that is ranked fourth in ICC’s T20I rankings, Hondo is now a hero again and the best bowling coach.
Fans like swing are fickle.
Talking to many bowlers in Zimbabwe they rate Hondo so highly.
At Tuskers where he is the head coach, Hondo has helped Jongwe to hit his strides again and was naturally happy that all the hard yards they had put in are starting to bear fruit at the international level.
“It’s a great comeback for Luke because it’s been about six years since he last played. And when he played six years ago, he was doing the same thing. It’s good to see him back, he is still grounded, still trusts his skill. And it’s showing in the performances,” added Hondo.
The dreadlocked mentor has seen the highs and lows in the red and gold jersey. He hopes the team can build on this victory.
“I think it just gives us more belief that we can cross the line in these types of situations because we’ve been in tight situations and we’ve come out on the other side and post good results. So I think it just gives us more belief that we can really enjoy these situations.”
Zimbabwe has had little to celebrate when it comes to T20I but nothing could stop Hondo and his teammates to indulge a bit after the historic win, it has been a long time coming.
“We will celebrate. But then tomorrow we get back to the drawing board, come up with plans again. So it’s important to take in the victory, but then we still have work to do in the third match.”
