Bangladesh make hopeful start after conceding lead

Bangladesh have made a hopeful start to their second essay in the opening Test against Zimbabwe after conceding the first innings lead on Day 2. Gaining the upper hand on the opening day after bowling the hosts out for 191, Zimbabwe managed to go past Bangladesh’s total on the second day. But any hopes of gaining a massive lead quickly evaporated on the second morning when the home side took less than three overs to break that strong opening partnership.

Brian Bennett looked in great touch despite Ben Curran’s dismissal at the other end as boundaries continued to flow off his bat that brought up his first Test fifty. His boundary-laden innings was cut short against the run of play though as Nahid Rana bagged his second wicket. Zimbabwe were then jolted again in a matter of three deliveries as Hasan Mahmud breached Nick Welch’s defence to shatter the stumps.

The experienced duo of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine then navigated a tricky period of play before Rana removed the skipper, much to Bangladesh’s relief. His efforts didn’t prevent the visitors from going past their total though as Williams hit a fighting half-century at one end. There were also useful contributions from Wessly Madhevere, Nyasha Mayavo and Richard Ngarava that helped in extending that lead before Mehidy Hasan ran through the tail to end up with a five-fer.

Zimbabwe made a positive start with the ball yet again when Blessing Muzarabani drew Shadman Islam forward to find the outside edge but failed to cash in when the same bowler found Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s edge in his next over with the keeper missing a sitter. The batter capitalised on that added some crucial boundaries to eat into the deficit and at the other end, the experienced Mominul Haque remained firm to help Bangladesh finish on a positive note, trailing by only 25 runs.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 191 & 57/1 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 28*) trail Zimbabwe 282 (Sean Williams 59, Brian Bennett 57; Mehidy Hasan 5/52) by 25 runs