Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani stood tall and won the battle against the much-hyped pace unit of Bangladesh in the first Test in Sylhet.

Much of the talk from the Bangladesh camp was about their pace sensation Nahid Rana, and how he could dismantle batters with sheer pace. But instead, it was Muzarabani who shone, putting all those chatters to bed as he starred with match figures of nine for 122 -- the best for a Zimbabwean against Bangladesh -- to help his side to a three-wicket win at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Standing at six feet and eight inches tall, Muzarabani produced an accomplished display throughout both innings, using not just his physical abilities to great effect but also having his wits about him.

The 28-year-old persistently challenged Bangladesh batters with short deliveries -- an Achilles heel for the Tigers -- and perhaps had the best read on the wicket on offer.

Muzarabani had several top-order batters jumpy by ruffling them with deliveries directed at the bodies, winning the mind-game with the Bangladesh batters. The right-arm quick then went for the kill with nipping deliveries just on a length or just short of it. He had as many as five batters, most of them key in the Bangladesh lineup, succumbing to the short ball.

But, perhaps, what Muzarabani did best was identify how the grassy wicket offered extra bounce for the bowlers. He remained adamant about bowling short-of-a-length, surprising the batters almost at every turn.

Pacers usually get high dividends for bowling it full and on a good length, especially when the cherry is shiny and the wicket is conducive to fast-bowling.

But Muzarabani opted to go against the norm, and perhaps, it was not a surprise.

"That's my strength, to bowl the hard length on the body. It is my No. 1 skill," Muzarabani had said on Tuesday.

The Zimbabwean quick deciphered what was going to work for him and stuck to shorter lengths. Till Day 4, his short-ball percentage was the highest -- 69.6% - amongst bowlers from both sides.

Muzarabani, undoubtedly, stood out in Zimbabwe's pace attack but his fellow quicks also played their part in making him shine as Victor Nyauchi and Richard Ngarava bowled with discipline and sacrificed on extravagance. The trio definitely won the pace battle between both sides as they accounted for 13 wickets in the match, while Bangladesh's pace battery, comprising Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, and Khaled Ahmed, picked up five in total.