Zimbabwe stunned Bangladesh by three wickets in the first match of the two-Test series in Sylhet on Wednesday.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz recorded his second five-wicket haul for the match but it was in vain as Zimbabwe’s batsmen held their nerve to close out the match despite losing quick wickets.
Zimbabwe chased down their target of 174 by the third session of the fourth day with three wickets in hand, their first win against Bangladesh since 2018, and their first against any team in four years, to secure a 1-0 lead.
Brian Bennett racked up his second fifty of the match to lead the chase on a surface that Bangladesh’s bowlers failed to exploit early.
Bennett and his opening partner Ben Curran laid a solid foundation with a partnership of 95 runs before Curran fell to Mehidy while attempting to play him over long on.
Curran failed to gauge the spin and ended up sending a catch to the mid-off.
Mehidy quickly bagged four more wickets, sending tremors through the Zimbabwe camp, while Taijul Islam chipped in with another two.
But Wessly Madhevere (19*), Wellington Masakadza (12), and Richard Ngarava (four not out) held their nerve to guide Zimbabwe home.
Bangladesh posted 255 in the second innings, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and wicketkeeper-batsman Jaker Ali contributing with a fifty each.
But the failures of batsmen such as Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy prevented them from setting up a more challenging target.
The Sylhet pitch is known to assist the fast bowlers but, unlike Blessing Muzarabani, who took nine wickets in the match, Bangladesh’s pacemen failed to capitalise on the home conditions.
The onus fell on the spin duo of Mehidy and Taijul but their efforts weren’t enough to make the required impact.
Zimbabwe earlier responded with 273 to Bangladesh’s first innings of 191, with Nahid Rana taking three wickets alongside Mehidy’s five.
An 82-run first-innings lead put Zimbabwe in a commanding position and they went on to record a big win.
It was Zimbabwe’s eighth win over Bangladesh in 19 Tests, equalling Bangladesh’s number of victories against them.
The second and final Test is in Chattogram from 28 April.
© Agence France-Presse
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