HARARE, July 9: Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan scythed through a hot-and-cold Zimbabwe line-up on the third afternoon, to put Bangladesh on top of the one-off Test in Harare.
Miraz claimed his eighth five-for while Shakib picked four wickets as well. This was only the third time that spinners took nine wickets in an innings in Zimbabwe.
The home side lost their last eight wickets for 51 runs after they were comfortably placed at 225 for 2 at one stage.
Takudzwanashe Kaitano top-scored with 87 off 311 balls, batting quite impressively at the other end. It is the highest score by a Zimbabwean opener on debut, and the third-highest number of balls faced by a Zimbabwean debutant overall. Brendan Taylor made 81 but his dismissal ultimately changed the home side’s outlook.
The Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam and Saif were solid in the second innings, staying unbeaten on 22 and 20 respectively. They stretched Bangladesh’s lead to 237.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s innings was one of extremes. Their top three batters scored 209 runs, but there were also four ducks. The truly extreme aspect was in how they batted in the four sessions.
On the second evening and third morning, they looked confident, particularly with captain Taylor in the middle. (Agencies)
