Donald Tiripano has said that he is ready to take up the challenge of batting at the top of the order after he disappointed Bangladesh with a 144-ball 52 to come to No. 5 in one-sided Tests.
While Bangladesh were always on their way to victory, Tiripano managed to stop the visitors for most of the final day, and it was ultimately a poor umpiring decision that ended his stay at the crease. Ibadat Hossain swung the ball far enough back, but replays clearly showed that there was daylight between bat and ball before Liton Das collected the ball. However, Tiripano felt that the game turned decisive on the first day when Zimbabwe failed to "end by the throat" of their opponents.
"It is a challenge that I am ready to take. If I get a chance to bat down the order, I am happy to accept it. I love the challenge. I enjoy the pressure," he said.
The pressure was unbelievable for Zimbabwe on the fifth day, especially as they lost four wickets in 19 balls just after the first drink break. Dion Myers, Timison Maruma, Roy Kaia and Regis Chakabawa are all gone, leaving Tiripano alone with a long tail.
He however managed the pressure quite well, ensuring that Bangladesh needed more than 30 overs to remove the last three wickets. Tiripano hit six boundaries during his stay, some of them through cover and midwicket and a reverse sweep. It was his second Test half-century, both coming up this year.
However, Tiripano was disappointed that Zimbabwe could not score high in the first innings.
"It's unfortunate that we didn't score well in the first innings. A lot of positive things came out of this game. Guys tried to score some runs and build partnerships with their heads down. But we have to work on our batting. Hit hard and make sure we don't play catch-up cricket in Test matches."
He also expressed regret over Zimbabwe getting Bangladesh off the hook in the first afternoon when the visitors were at 132 for 6 at one point.
"We started well on the first morning. The wicket was working a bit. After taking six wickets, we let them go. Mahmudullah and Liton Das put on a partnership.
"I think we have to make sure that when we come across such a situation, we have to hug them and we have to eliminate them."
Tiripano was all praise for the two debutants Caetano and Myers.
"They are exciting people. Caetano is very talented. Everyone has seen what he can do. Dion also showed what a great batsman he is going to be for Zimbabwe. The future looks bright with these guys."