Bangladesh rue 'mental errors' as they get bowled out for 191

Zimbabwe pace bowling coach Charl Langeveldt heaped praise on his bowlers for showcasing discipline and patience, on the opening day of the two-match Test series opener against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh were bundled out for just 191 in 61 overs, courtesy dismal batting display coupled with Zimbabwe's disciplined bowling attack.

By Stumps, Zimbabwe had reached 67 runs without loss, with Brian Bennett and Ben Curran unbeaten on 40 and 17 respectively with the tourists trailing by just 124 runs.

"It was a great day for Zimbabwe cricket. We started a bit too short in the first session and didn't make the batters play enough. But I told the boys to just string together a few tight overs without giving away runs. That's when we got Shanto, and then came the collapse. It was a great passage of play for us," Langeveldt told reporters following the opening day's play.

"Nyauchi stuck to the game plan and picked up two important edges. Blessing's [Muzarabani} aggression and bounce caught them off guard. He's been bowling really well for us over the past few Tests. On a surface like this, with bounce and carry, you have to be aggressive and hit your areas," he said.

The South African, who had worked with the Bangladesh team earlier, insisted that the hosts paid the price of 'mental errors'.

"I call it mental errors. It can happen in any batting line-up," he said. "It's not necessarily a bad shot-it's just a lapse in judgment. Muzarabani bowled a cross-seam delivery to Shanto that bounced a bit extra. That's his scoring zone, and he went for it. But it was a mental error-and those moments add up."

Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin echoed the same sentiment.

"I also think that we made some mistakes tactically. And on the mental aspect, we played some shots abruptly like a batter was out after getting set. This is a mental setback. I think there's something lacking in following the routine. Like how to face each delivery and to stay in the routine. We've to work quickly in this regard. The boys have to understand that," said Salahuddin.

"The boys have been trying to change a lot in their mentalities. They're aware of their self-improvement. Maybe we were very poor today, but it cannot be said they aren't trying or they don't have that intention to go to the next level. But I think that we want to build something new and we're working on that. We are trying to improve. But I think our batting didn't go well today, nor did the bowling. But we will try to be back in the match quickly.

"A cricket system of a country cannot be dependent on certain players. It depends on how your structure is, what challenges you face to come so far. And to face that challenge, you've to play a lot of cricket, whether it's A level cricket, domestic or at the national level. You came from playing the Premier League where the wickets behave differently. Now you've to play a different ball game," he said.

"The cricket structure depends on how much challenge the boys face before coming to this level. You can say the openers didn't perform well in the last six Tests. Now you've to find some new boys and it will take time to prepare him. Maybe we will give him time thinking that it will work. But we have limited resources and we also don't want to think about what we don't have. So we have to find a way quickly. We will try," he added.