Opener Shadman Islam scored a century, propelling Bangladesh to a slim lead in the second and concluding Test against Zimbabwe.
On Tuesday, Shadman registered a personal best of 120, helping Bangladesh reach 7-291 at the end of day two, which puts them ahead by 64 runs.
A last-minute surge of wickets prevented Bangladesh from fully dominating the match, as Zimbabwe’s legspinner Vincent Masekesa took 3 wickets for 44 runs in his Test debut.
Masekesa’s haul included crucial dismissals of Mominul Haque (33) and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (23), both of whom looked poised for bigger scores.
Experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was run out for 40, offering Zimbabwe a glimmer of hope.
Shadman and Anamul Haque gave Bangladesh a solid start, adding a total of 118 runs for the first century opening partnership since December 2022.
They remained unscathed throughout the morning session after Zimbabwe, unable to add to their overnight total, crumbled to 227 all out in their first innings.
Taijul Islam, a Bangladeshi bowler, dismissed Blessing Muzurabani with the first delivery of the day, leaving Tafadzwa Tsiga stranded on 18. Taijul concluded with impressive figures of 6-60 from 27.1 overs.
Anamul and Shadman adopted an aggressive approach from the beginning, with Shadman hitting Richard Ngarava for a boundary in the third over to signal his intent.
Making his Test return after three years, Anamul quickly got going, striking two boundaries against Ngarava in the fifth over.
However, shortly after lunch, Muzurabani trapped Anamul leg-before for 39 after a resilient 80-ball innings that featured four boundaries.
Shadman, who managed only 12 and 4 in the first Test in Sylhet, drove Ngarava for a boundary past cover to secure his second Test century off just 147 balls. His first ton had also come against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2021.
With this achievement, Shadman became the 16th Bangladeshi player to cross the 1000-run mark in Test cricket.
He and Mominul added 76 runs for the second wicket, yet both fell in quick succession just before tea.
Left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza (1-77) initiated the collapse by dismissing Mominul, while Brian Bennett followed up by getting rid of Shadman in the next over.
Shanto and Mushfiqur were steady as Bangladesh looked set for a substantial total, but Masekesa intervened by taking Shanto’s wicket, ending their 65-run partnership.
Shanto’s exit sparked a collapse, resulting in Bangladesh losing 4 wickets for just 20 runs.
Zimbabwe currently leads the two-match series 1-0 after their victory by three wickets in Sylhet.
