It took 17 long years for Zimbabwe to register their first overseas Test win, as they beat Bangladesh by 151 runs in Sylhet, near Dhaka, yesterday. Debutant leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta (4-21) and Sikandar Raza (3-41) shared seven wickets between them to bundle out the hosts for 169 in their chase of 321 for victory at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The win has taken a long time coming, admits Zimbabwe's head coach and former India opening batsman Lalchand Rajput, who coached India when MS Dhoni & Co won the 2007 World T20 title in South Africa.

"The hard work that we put in during the 45-day camp [August-September] at Harare has paid off. The emphasis was mainly on strengthening our batting abilities. The front-foot defence without wearing pads, stepping out for drives and sweep shows were some of the areas of concentration for our batsmen. They worked really hard and that too on turning wickets. Now, the results are there for all to see," Rajput, who took over as coach six months ago from former Zimbabwe all-rounder Heath Streak, told mid-day over the phone from Sylhet yesterday.