adminZimbabwe – 240 and 5 without loss (Vusimuzi Sibanda 5*, Regis Chakabva 0*)
Bangladesh – 254 all out (Mushfiqur Rahim 64, Mohammad Mahmudullah 63, Mominul Haque 53; Tinashe Panyangara 5-59)
Tinashe Panyangara was the star of the show on the second day of the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka yesterday.
The bowler picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in his seventh Test outing – a performance that restrained Bangladesh to 254 all out and a slender lead of 14 runs in the first innings.
Though not gifted with express pace, Panyangara persevered all day in conditions customarily suited for spin, exhibiting unparalleled control and deadly accuracy that justified why he is widely tagged as the spearhead of the Zimbabwe attack.
Bangladesh resumed the day on 27 runs for one wicket, with Mominul Haque on 14 and Shamsur Rahman on eight – still 213 runs adrift on a tricky surface.
Rahman was Panyangara’s first victim of the day when he mis-timed a full length delivery to mid-off. His wicket, though credited to Panyangara, was as a direct result of accumulated pressure through dot balls between Tendai Chatara and Panyangara.
Mahmudullah joined Mominul and the pair looked set for the long haul, putting up 63 runs for the third wicket.
Mominul brought up his sixth Test half-century, but in the penultimate over before the break, he made the mistake of not grounding his bat while taking a single and was found short of his crease by a direct hit from Sikandar Raza Butt in the covers.
Zimbabwe was rewarded with wickets at regular intervals for its disciplined bowling and clinical fielding. Shakib Al Hasan went cheaply for five, run out by an athletic effort by Chatara.
Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim threatened to run away with the game with a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket. The two profited from the inexperienced duo of John Nyumbu and debutant Tafadzwa Kamungozi.
In what seemed like a desperate move, captain Brendan Taylor then brought part-time spinner Sikandar Raza Butt into the attack, and the move reaped immediate dividends as Raza trapped Mahmudullah in front for 63 shortly before tea.
Panyangara returned with the second new ball and ripped the Bangladesh middle order apart, taking key wickets at crucial moments of the match including that of Mushfiqur Rahim – dismissed for a well-played 64.
None of the Bangladesh tail-enders lasted, and there was even time for Kamungozi to pick up his first wicket in Test cricket, removing Shuvagata Hom for 14. At stumps, Zimbabwe were five without loss, and Vusimuzi Sibanda – five not out – will continue in the morning with Regis Chakabva, who has yet to score.
The match is evenly poised going into the third day, and Zimbabwe will know that any substantial lead will make it difficult for the hosts, who will have to bat last on a deteriorating wicket. Heavy rains fell in the evening after play on the first day, but although the morning of the second day started off being overcast, there was no immediate threat of a downpour. – ZimCricket
Online Reporter